Anonymous commented at 2012-10-11 05:03:51 » #1179021

The maquahuitl was a type of Aztec sword made of wood, with prismatic blades of obsidian embedded in its sides. According to accounts from Spanish conquistadors, the maquahuitl was sharp enough to decapitate a horse in a single stroke. Aztec warriors would kill Spanish mounts and use the flat sides of the sword to bludgeon their riders unconscious for capture and/or sacrifice.

~The More You Know~

25 Points Flag

togat1 commented at 2014-01-30 22:44:26 » #1479586

It was a badass weapon for people with no iron resources. They simply found the sharpest naturally forming rock around and turned it into a sword.

4 Points Flag

Anonymous commented at 2014-07-28 11:40:38 » #1576471

Jaguar print, not leopard. leopards are from africa. mayans worshipped the jaguar which is from mexico and the Yucatan peninsula

5 Points Flag

Anonymous commented at 2014-11-22 12:47:02 » #1639553

Oh, I'd follow her into battle, for sure. P:

2 Points Flag

Anonymous commented at 2015-03-26 10:37:40 » #1711014

Guys, it couldn't decapitate a horse or human, that was just tall tales... The obsidian shards hard a tendency to break off and often became lodged in the victims.

While it lacks the brute chopping power of a steel blade, it does hurt like hell and is tough to survive, as wounds could easily become infected and removal of the obsidian could be tricky, the shards themselves fragile yet dense and sharp enough that trying to simply pull them out could break them into yet-smaller and sharper pieces.

It's a truly brutal (if ineffective in long conflicts) weapon.

2 Points Flag