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A ''macuahuitl'' ( (singular)〔''Nahuatl Dictionary.'' (1997). Wired Humanities Project. University of Oregon. Retrieved September 1, 2012, from (link )〕) is a wooden sword with obsidian blades. The name is derived from the Nahuatl language. Its sides are embedded with prismatic blades made from obsidian, which produces an edge far sharper than even high quality steel razor blades.〔Buck, BA (March 1982). "Ancient Technology in Contemporary Surgery". The Western journal of medicine 136 (3): 265–269. PMC 1273673. PMID 7046256.〕 The weapon was used by many different civilizations in Mesoamerica including the Aztec, Mayan, Mixtec and Purépecha. The Macuahuitl was the standard close combat weapon together with the Tepoztli and the long range spear thrower Atlatl. This weapon was used also during the campaigns of the Spaniards in Mexico by their Tlaxcalan allies. One example of this weapon survived the Conquest of Mexico and it was part of the Royal Armoury of Madrid until it was destroyed by a fire in 1884. Its original design survives in diverse catalogues, among them the one created by the medievalist Achille Jubinal in the 19th century. ==Description== The maquahuitl (, other orthographical variants include ''maquahutil'', ''macquahuitl'' and ''māccuahuitl''),〔See Wimmer (2006), entry under 'MACUAHUITL': ("de MACPA à MACUEXTZIN" )〕 a type of macana, was a common weapon used by the Aztec military forces and other cultures of central Mexico, that was noted during the 16th-century Spanish conquest of the region. They also used other implements such as the round shield (''chimalli'' ), the bow (''tlahuītōlli'' ), and the spear-thrower (''atlatl'' ).〔Soustelle (1961), p.209.〕 It was the only "sword" with ceramic material in its edges, only comparable with the modern ceramic knife. It was capable of inflicting serious lacerations from the rows of obsidian blades embedded in its sides, which could be knapped into blades or spikes, or in a circular fashion that looked like "scales"〔Coe (1962), p.168.〕 It is sometimes referred to as a sword or club, but it lacks a true European equivalent, perhaps it is best described as a baton with a cutting edge. According to one source, the macuahuitl was long, and three inches (80 mm) in diameter, with a groove along either edge, into which sharp-edged pieces of flint or obsidian were inserted, and firmly fixed with an adhesive.〔From A.P. Maudslay's translation commentary of Bernal Díaz del Castillo's ''Verdadera Historia de la Conquista de Nueva España'' (republished as "The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico", p.465).〕 The rows of obsidian blades were sometimes discontinuous, leaving gaps along the side, while at other times the rows were set close together and formed a single edge.〔See Hassig (1988), p.85.〕 It was noted by the Spanish that the macuahuitl was so cleverly constructed that the blades could be neither pulled out nor broken. The macuahuitl was made with either one-handed or two-handed grips, as well as in rectangular, ovoid, or pointed forms. The two-handed macuahuitl has been described “as tall as a man”.〔Hassig, ''Op. Cit.'' p.83.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Macuahuitl」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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