How to make a Maquahuitl, Part 1

[@platypusbuk]

Ive recently come out of a coma. and have had nothing but time between doctor appointments, and you sir, are fantastic!

[@donkeyslayer8370]

da hell how long was da coma m8

[@MrFirmbottom]

Welcome back.

[@chris101ward]

I know this comment is 8 years old, but I'm glad you woke up from your coma. How has your life been since waking up? I hope it's been full of blessings

[@platypusbuk]

@@chris101ward Jesus, this was 8 years ago! It has been crazy. Ups, downs, but ultimately, good. Comparing myself to how I used to be is the hardest part. I have a deeper appreciation for people who are trapped in their body whether by age, injury or disability. All in all, things are good. hahaha, Thank you for the follow up.

[@josemezatorrez]

Mr Paleoman really took the time to show us step by step on how to make an Aztec sword, thank you and enjoyed watching it,

[@paleomanjim]

Jose Luis Meza Torres Thanks

[@nikkorodrigeuz2475]

paleomanjim loved this video.. I would love to try to make one and also an Aztec dagger

[@tonymaurice4157]

@@paleomanjim abiogenesis is a failure

[@timlopes67]

I still think this is one of the best looking macuahuitl and great clear videos on how to make it

[@paleomanjim]

Thanks 👍 I really enjoyed the challenge

[@zkjoker666]

My respect here from an nahuatl indigenous descendant, your reconstruction of a macuahuitl is of high quality. Many of our people lost the ways of the ancient warriors and the ceremonial respect of the weapons. I hope my people appreciate your work! thank you.

[@paleomanjim]

Thanks, it means a lot to be able to reach out to a descendant of this weapon. I often wish I had a time machine so that I could go back and see how the ancient people made weapons like this, and especially the obsidian blade making. ....jim

[@myytname]

I just found this, after giving up the search for how to make one of these months ago. You are my hero.

[@herusolares5320]

As a historian with a liking to pre-Columbian civilization, I find it amazing you use local materials, and even some of the tools commonly used.

[@mrflufay5236]

I'm gonna try making this since my ancestors used this

[@paleomanjim]

Mrflufay2 Great, it is a learning experience and very satisfying to replicate the tools of the past. You will appreciate the journey!

[@thegreyghost5846]

Mrflufay2 have fun, hope you can decapitate a horse in one swing like them

[@BananaMike780]

@frog 420 the Macuahuitl is a mexican weapon, you idiot. At least get which race you're being racist against right.

[@tenebris9994]

Nagsaw Native American, damn it. Before the Spaniards came to Mesoamerica there were natives. They massacred my ancestors, took our land, made us slaves and now named our land Mexico. Now we all live there, Spaniards and the ignorant “Mexicans” who don’t know shit about their ancestors. Thankfully there are a lot of people who know our ancestors there. 😊

[@BananaMike780]

The Aztecs were calling it mexico before the spaniards came, m8. It's literally a Nahuatl word meaning 'place of the mexica' en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexica Read a book or something, stop calling others ignorant when you don't know shit.

[@touchnova]

Welcome back, another awesome project by the master! Thanks for posting up Jim, lookin' forward to the next installment.

[@ericwhyne]

Glad to see a new video! Yours was one of the channels that inspired me to start posting videos and sharing knowledge.

[@hraefn1821]

Vids like this make me proud to have Nahua blood in me. :P

[@paleomanjim]

I think it was sort of a compound weapon, a well placed blow would easily sink to the bone on neck, arm or leg, possibly even detaching them. The blades would shatter when they struck the bone, but the mass and blunt force of the weapon might blast through the bone and pulling the weapon backward would saw through the remaining flesh with the remaining blades. The warrior could then use the opposite edge to continue fighting. After the battle the warrior could replace damaged blades with heat.

[@jeffthecheff]

awesome, i just made a batch of charcoal pine pitch this weekend for the first time. cant wait to see part 2!

[@DmnSpawn1]

These were used against the Spanish and were known to lop limbs right off. They chopped and the great weight of the heavy wood helped to drive it through. The spaces would only matter if you were trying to do crafting or delicate work. Great video Jim I hope to craft my own soon now that we bought a property and I have a shop I am setting up.

[@whiterabit09]

The wood grain is beautiful!

[@augustus7691]

Love this Video! Thank You for getting it out for those of us that need a little shove in the right direction. -gus

[@StreetHeartVintage]

its like a ten edged axe, I love the basic and brutally beautiful design of ancient weapons.

[@paleomanjim]

Yes, primitive but effective!

[@StreetHeartVintage]

viciously effective!

[@himhim17yearsago77]

Knightcombat&Gadgeteering the only downside is how easy the blades can be damaged, any sort of non leather armor would probably shatter a blade BUT they would be moderately easy to replace. the good thing is that the blades would be like bloody razor blades if you were to use volcanic glass.

[@StreetHeartVintage]

Fackel Mcpackel true but for their time hard armor was very uncommon and against just flesh they should hold up for a few whacks, and keep in mind that these were used for wounding mainly, to keep the target alive for ritual sacrifice later on.

[@himhim17yearsago77]

Knightcombat&Gadgeteering i didn't really think about he non lethal thing, i didn't know that these where for wounding. but then again, weren't spears more popular around this time? (dont murder me if i am wrong)

[@pierceschmeichel8711]

Dudes holding the sharpest razorblade in the world bare handed...legend

[@lunac8546]

I enjoyed this series of videos Jim, thank you. I would have liked it if you perhaps listed all of the tools and materials needed at the beginning though. Perhaps a series on preparing the cores would be useful too?

[@thecuriousnomad4712]

I have a series on making blade cores that you can find on my playlists.....

[@HillbillysNdaBush]

Great job brother, i am so glad you are making vids again. I am also kinda glad but not really that i didnt have to go to your channel. Every time i go there i have to watch ALL of your vids again. Next time will be my 4th. Its a addiction...lol I cant stop at just 1...hahaha

[@paleomanjim]

Thanks to you and everyone else. I have been knapping on a regular basis as always but have been sidelined the past couple years with other hobbies, atlatl throwing, meteorite hunting, etc. Too many interests, not enough time!

[@paleomanjim]

Great. I'd like to see pics of your finished word. I might make another one this summer, dunno, they sure are a lot of work.....

[@JamesPeach]

Nice, thank you for making this video. It's rare to see any type of video related mesoamerican things.

[@ailishgorovenko3782]

its bad for some people like me. im making a project and hopefully making a model of a weapon

[@paleomanjim]

Many of the original drawings show gaps between the blades but I am not sure which is more correct. Any ideas out there? The gaps might actually make the weapon more effective as new cutting edges might cause multiple wounds, but that is just a guess. I have not made any micro blades yet, although I have received several authentic ones for study and can appreciate the skill those cultures had....

[@mkaberli]

Good to have you back

[@ummmhuhhh]

always great to watch your vids jim..nice job as always

[@paleomanjim]

Thanks, that is good information as the mix was a bit dry. Can vegetable oil be added to thin the viscosity? In the past I have noted that the longer it is heated the thicker the mix gets as the volatiles boil off.

[@Kalupz]

It looks like a mixture between an instrument and a really brutal weapon.

[@paleomanjim]

Yes. Flint pressure blades can be harder to make than obsidian. Obsidian was used in Meso America because it was available and easy to work. Many prismatic blades were made in Europe and some were very refined. No doubt some were used as weapons to provide a cutting edge on swords or clubs of some type. There may have been some type of Maquahuitl equivalent in other parts of the world......

[@NicholasKelley111]

I thought you died in a fire XD Im very glad to see some you doing more videos now. I learned more about knapping from your vids than anywhere else.

[@paleomanjim]

Thanks. I have made 5 more Maquahuitl's since doing that video and will be posting another video about them soon....

[@FlintSpall]

Very interesting and informative video.Lookin forward to the sequels.Thanks

[@pringals]

He's alive! haha... been looking for a new vid for a while. Welcome back Jim.

[@Taxandrya]

Exactly, nice work. Really, I've never seen a handcraft with such long blades. I wonder if they were so long though with historical ones.

[@paleomanjim]

Thanks for that tip! I have several more I am working on and will give the hide glue/pitch a try...

[@paleomanjim]

Thanks. I learned that the hard way. Boiling or overheating does seem to cause the pitch to get brittle.....

[@hiddenflorida]

Haha I'm glad to finally find someone else who collects rabbit pellets!

[@paleomanjim]

The adhesive is composed of pine pitch, crushed charcoal and crushed plant fibre. The crushed plant fibre can be made from droppings of most any herbivore (deer, goat, rabbit, etc).....

[@melancholyriffs]

Awesome, Jim, got me inspired to make one now.

[@williambrown9477]

I don't have one of these but 2 years ago one of my Hawaiian friends gave me one of there swords with shark teeth tied in the wood

[@Naizhenghad]

Leiomano i think

[@ahuizotl8]

Yes, You've got some validity in your argument. The maquahuitl came in various sizes the larger one, for obvious reasons could not be used in conjunction with the chimalli. It was for the tall or strong individuals and seasoned warriors. There were also different shapes of Maquahuitl. Some were flat and broad from the tip others were round like a baseball bat.Others were curb and single edged. Some were of uniform shape from handle to tip, like the western sword.

[@vborg001]

Wecome back Jim ,Missed your videos.

[@paleomanjim]

hello, the wood is Bocote and comes from central America. It is extremely hard and durable and can be purchased in small boards on ebay. The glue seemed to work well enough as is was, no problems really....jim

[@KnapperJackCrafty]

Awsome, Jim! Can't wait for Part 2.

[@hiddenflorida]

This is amazing! So glad I found your channel.

[@paleomanjim]

Glad to be of help, I've had a lot of fun making them also....

[@tonygonzalez3841]

I came across your videos about the macuahuitl about a year ago, and decided to make my own. Instead of using obsidian I used utility knife blades, because I wasnt ready to take on that obsidian challenge, but i really liked the look, but the obsidian is by far the better looking option, and what my ancestors would've used in the past. I bought some obsidian to try to do what you did but I couldn't do it, The core you had was nothing like the one I bought, I was trying to shape to make it look like it but I ended up flaking it and breaking it to a million pieces. In your video you mentioned emailing you for some obsidian blades, but I couldn't find your email. I'm not sure if you still do this, but I would greatly appreciate it if you can steer me in the right direction, of how I can make the blades, or where I can get them. Thank you

[@paleomanjim]

Thanks very much for that. My flintknapping began by reading "The Art of Flintknapping by DC Waldorf" over 30 years ago. I have studied artifact books, lithic casts and real artifacts and knapped with many other knappers over the years. Knapping is a shared experience and a lot can be learned by watching others. However, most knapping is learned by actual hands on experience, years of it!.....jim

[@NilsFjandannsson]

would anyone explain how one would carve the fine gap in the wood without a sawblade? how did they do this in ancient times?

[@paleomanjim]

My guess is they used a a flint or chert spall, possibly shaped like a scraper. I have used flint to cut grooves in wood several times and it works quite well. when scraped along the channel it can actually plane the groove deeper.

[@parabellum4224]

they went to home depot

[@spiritdance5805]

Seriously. What an awesome video. Great!

[@nikkorodrigeuz2475]

I think I might try to make one ...but i dont know where to find the rock to make the blades ..

[@arnaldohanatarashi]

Thanks for the great video. Have you ever used ocher mixed with the charcoal and pitch for the glue? it works well. Never heard of rabbit droppings, guess i'm going to try that some day in arrow heads and barbs. I've seen people using lapin glue which is rabbit in french. I guess it is dry rabbit fat that when you mix it with water works well in gluing leather for a hafts and that sort of stuff. Another thing, why don't you back the blades a little, it would help fixing them. Maybe the aztecs didn't do it that way (I don't know) but you don't seem to be too much concerned about that...

[@Galindorf]

arnaldohanatarashi Actually it's rabbit SKIN glue! Similar in concept to "horse glue" where you boil down all the skin and connective tissue for the collagen (aka: gelatin). I learned about it in art classes, it's what the painters of old used to prepare/seal a canvas to keep substances in the paint from eating away at the canvas fibers. Many still do! (wonder if knox gelatin would work?)

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

***** Pitch and charcoal, or pitch and rabbit poo, make good glues for joining rock to wood, as it is for arrows. Hide glue doesn't work as well because the thick pitch/charcoal, pitch/poo totally fills the gaps and cushions the fragile stone's impact. Of course I may be speaking out of turn, because I haven't finished watching the video, so if my comment has nothing to do with anything, I apologize.

[@stevewelding828]

I should have guessed you'd collect your own. Thanks for the reply. thumbs up and subscribed .

[@PatrickCavanaugh0420]

Steve Welding are you still searching for obsidian?

[@stevewelding828]

***** yes.Always. Whats the best way to connect with you?

[@MrJsteed2009]

Outstanding! I really enjoyed your sharing this. Thanks!

[@paleomanjim]

You are welcome, thanks

[@gar4206]

Where do you get the obsidian

[@paleomanjim]

I collect my own, easily collected in northern california at Davis Creek and several places in Oregon. It takes tons to learn so much cheaper to collect your own

[@charliebaker1427]

Seems like your attaching agent is a more biorganic version of what tar is

[@giovannirokez122]

That is awesome!! Wish I had the material to make my own.

[@19Edurne]

Wonderful channel! I learn a lot, but I didn't quite catch the name of the wood you use for this particular maquahuitl, and I really love the grain. Just another question: it seems to me that your glue ingredients aren't grinded very fine. Isn't that a problem specialy concerning charcoal and rabbit droppings?

[@ricardorivera8480]

I am very interested an building one myself, your obsiedian cores? Where do u buy them ,also different types of obsiedian, are they weaker or stronger( snow flake ,golds,Brown's and different patterns I have seen.) I liked the wood which looked to be true 1 inch from down south,my next question is where do u purchase your hard wood. It's a great video and I'm gonna watch all the videos I have not seen yet.wait to hear back.

[@paleomanjim]

The wood is Bocote from Central America, a bit expensive but I purchased mine from Ebay. Very hard heavy wood! The blades were made from high quality obsidian from Glass Buttes that I collected, see my blade core series on how to make them.....

[@BushMania4]

Meteorite hunting??? Cool!!! I was wondering how well the maq cuts???

[@heiian]

Thank you. I found your video to be helpful and very cool! I have been attempting to recreate a macuahuitl myself, cloud you tell me where could I purchase obsidian or an obsidian core? Thanks for posting

[@majorpain53]

the way that if fans out may reduce the drag from the spaces

[@maxcaine9280]

Hey Paleo-Jim, just found your videos, I'm really impressed with your attention to traditions: One question though: I can't figure out what type of wood you're talking about using in the video. Even though you say what it is I can't quite figure out how to spell it (I'm looking into making my own macuahuitl and would like to look into different wood types).

[@paleomanjim]

Hello Max, The wood is Bocote and it grows in central america. Really hard heavy wood. I purchased the piece on Ebay. Cocobolo or rosewood is also a good choice as is oak. ....good luck on your project....

[@chrisnangle435]

paleomanjim damn that wood has a pretty grain though :D

[@Mr.5N]

Amazing work, very interesting!

[@VicariousReality7]

Question: Why is there a quite noticeable space between the stones, that would stop the blade from cutting

[@paleomanjim]

Yes. Some folks have used epoxy to secure the blades, it is up to you. The blades are by far the most difficult component to make for this weapon. Just have fun making it.......

[@xam3580]

what was in the bottom of the cotainer before you added the rabbit droppings?

[@paleomanjim]

No, I have not tried to harden the wood. I have used very hard woods from central america for most of my Maquahuitl's. Some have used oak to make them which is also a wood that was available. I think most any hardwood is acceptable but I have no idea what wood was actually used.

[@ЕвгенийК-ы4д]

Very interesting ! I can't find what tree did you use in your work?

[@paleomanjim]

The wood is Bocote, a native tree in central America

[@danield9874]

Where did you get the obsidian? I can only find very small pieces, or already flaked blades that are massively exspensive. I would like to build one myself, so any help or answers would be appreciated.

[@MrAmazing21399]

Oh!Oh! Can you please test it on something like a pig-corpse? That would have been so awesome! I would love to see the damage that primitive weapon can cause. -Sander

[@godofimagination]

Have you ever tried to sandwich veneer together instead of carving?

[@xkillerwolfx]

how did you make the so perfect rectangular obsidian blades?

[@Khanstant]

Rabbit turd out of no where, or did I miss the part where you collected them?

[@BlueKnyght]

Hi! If I can't get my hands on some obsidian material, can I just use ordinary bottle glass for the blades? Or obsidian is really that different to ordinary glass?

[@neilbarrett6567]

Great video(s) Jim, thanks. A question. With a little modification, do you think perhaps the maquahutil structure could be the basis for a primitive wood saw? Flint microliths along one side, each pitched at a slight angle... Just a thought! Again, great stuff :-) N

[@CountryMaster16]

have you had any problems with the adhisive power of your glue? i have been told by many that you will run into those problems if you are using pitch that was fully dried

[@paleomanjim]

It can get very brittle if you heat the adhesive too long. I think what happens is that the volatiles boil off and then the adhesive looses its elasticity. I try to minimize the heat and work quickly

[@bensavoca]

Quick question: at 12:59, you pour the charcoal into an Alta Dena cottage cheese container. Will other brands work, or do I need Alta Dena? Thanks.

[@alucard4969]

paleomanjim, you said you use rabbit dropping to help hold your adhesive together like re-bar, would it be possible to just use fibers from your yucca to achieve the same outcome?

[@paleomanjim]

alucard4969 Yes, it should work. No doubt native peoples did use various fibers in combination with adhesives and gums to make all sorts of useful items. What is needed for bonding adhesives though is short fibers which are readily provided by deer, goats, rabbits and other grazing animals.

[@heiian]

i havent watched the entirety of all three of your videos but, do you ever at any point harden the club itself? if so, how do you go about it?

[@kylesheng2365]

What are the exact measurements of the wood you used?

[@kennyroster2081]

would you ever consider selling one of these? I would love to own one. I have looked everywhere online

[@paleomanjim]

Sorry, just too much work to make them, I have never sold any.

[@Texmedina]

i loved the videos!! can i buy one from you??

[@joneblaze82]

very cool dont the originals have no gaps between the blades? the jade ones are really neat so are the spike balls made with shards and feathers also. can you please make some micro blade cores and micro blade production like the siberian stuff? the microblade knives are super cool, these are like to huge version of those from northern sub artic peoples :)

[@ahmedzogu3284]

Can you send me a link to where you buy your tools? Thanks!

[@ahmedzogu3284]

P.S. I'm in Quebec, Canada, so, try finding a store near me..?

[@stevewelding828]

Hey Paleomanjim, could you tell me where I could get the obsidian ? I've been looking online but can't find any good sources.

[@paleomanjim]

Steve Welding I collected my own in the field, so really not sure who is selling right now. Craig Ratzat used to sell, not sure if he still does. Check out the Paleoplanet forums, I am sure someone on there can direct you to a good source.....

[@Uncas0813]

Could one use goat pellets?

[@platypusbuk]

would any dried dropping (llama, deer, cow) work in the adhesive.

[@platypusbuk]

??

[@paleomanjim]

+Arles Tippie Deer and llama droppings work well. Cow or any bovine are to course grained to work, the particles must be fine grained

[@platypusbuk]

+paleomanjim Thank you for the reply!

[@BasiaDanny]

how did you cut the circle into the wood?

[@gilbertpvalencia]

Going to start working on this thanks boss

[@CienCarasWC3]

Jeebus, can't I just glue the blades into the sword with some epoxy? Making that glue out of pine pitch is gonna take forever. Would it reduce the effectiveness of the weapon in some way?

[@iliftthingsupandputthemdow4364]

Greetings paleoman! Do you by any chance know where I can purchase knapping obsidian from a reputable dealer? I've been reading that many people sell fake or low quality and that I should avoid it. Can you give me any tips on the stones?

[@JrokkuNoHime]

I am going to attempt to make this. I'll give an update; if I have all my fingers once I am done.

[@paleomanjim]

JrokkuNoHime Go for it, it will be a good experience and a lot of fun!

[@JrokkuNoHime]

Thanks so much! C: I'll let you know how it went once I'm finished. Also, thank you a ton for sharing this 'How To"---Otherwise I'd be more than likely, very lost.

[@bradeymandsager4319]

Hey it's 3 years later? Did you get to it?

[@camerl2009]

i always thought the "baldes" where made from the flakes making it a jagged edge that you would swing and then pull

[@KnightlyNerd]

I kind of doubt that historical macuahuitls were so brittle as modern reconstructions. Looking at experiments done with them, it would seem that they were so brittle as to be ineffective. I suspect that obsidian blades, after having been knapped from a core, were sculpted into a shape with a much stronger and longer lasting edge geometry. I can understand replacing the blades every so often, but the weapon becoming chipped to useless in every battle? Unlikely. It's a real shame that the only surviving macuahuitl was lost in the madrid museum in a fire.

[@paleomanjim]

Maintenance of the blades was probably required after any battle. Shields were used to deflect the weapon and no doubt caused damage to the blades. My guess is that each warrior carried a small pouch of extra blades with them to repair/replace damaged blades.

[@quint2885]

One of the molecular properties of obsidian, much like glass, is the shape of it's structure. When it breaks, it's always left in an extremely sharp shape. One of the ideas of the maquahuitl is that when a blade breaks, it's still very sharp, and can be broken and used until it's too small to do significant damage, or is no longer attached to the wood core.

[@luzrey3737]

What kind of wood did you say you used?

[@albertolindermann2819]

is awesome, im mexican and my ancestors use this in Tenochtitlan.

[@deathangel273]

Alberto Lindermann Viva México wey :v

[@NICARAGUANPRIDE777]

nice to see other people taking intrest in are warefare culture

[@redtheman302]

does flint work as a sub for obsidian?

[@outerlevi6254]

Native American languiges are similar to Korean language. Maquahuitl is meaning that Bar which hit anything in korean language.

[@funkipor]

Outerlevi 아우터레위 Did you mean Náhuatl?

[@outerlevi6254]

Funkipor Maquahuitl can be explained in Korean language as "hitting bar".

[@funkipor]

Outerlevi 아우터레위 Maquahuitl in Spanish means "singular".

[@outerlevi6254]

Funkipor That mean of the word is very far away from uasge of the thing.

[@outerlevi6254]

Funkipor There is not the word "Maquahuitl " in native spanish Dictionary. Maquahuitl is just a word from the native american language. Maqua = hit in korean language hui = an adjective phrase in korean language tl = tool in korean language Tool in english is similar to korean. Very funny.