Objective Of War
One of the major objectives during war was to capture their enemies alive so that they could be sacrificed in religious ceremonies. For every captive a warrior would rise in rank and gain prestige within their society eventually becoming an elite Eagle or Jaguar warrior.
Therefore weapons used by the Aztec warriors were mostly edged using obsidian as it is sharp enough to badly hurt or maim an enemy.
Features of Tepoztopilli
Tepoztopilli was one such effective weapon, it was 3 to 7 feet in length having a broad leaf shaped head. This broad head had grooves carved into it so that sharp obsidian flakes could be attached to it using bitumen or plant resin.
Being a longer melee weapon it made and excellent front line weapon for stabbing and slashing enemies from a safer distance. The greater length allowed the user to stand behind a line of more experienced warriors to deliver deadly thrusts and slashes being out of the enemy’s range.
No Actual Tepoztopilli Left
Sadly there is no actual artifact remaining today as the last authentic tepoztopilli was destroyed in a fire in 1884 in the Armería Real in Madrid where it was housed
Tepoztopilli Images
