The quauholōlli (also transliterated as cuauhololli) was a kind of
blunt weapon used by the
Aztecs
The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the ...
,
Huastecs, and
Tarascans
Tarascan or Tarasca is an exonym and the popular name for the Purépecha culture. It may refer to:
* the Tarascan State, a Mesoamerican empire until the Spanish conquest in the 1500s, located in (present-day) west-central Mexico
* the Purépecha ...
. It is a
mace-like
club consisting of a to long wooden stick ending in a hard ball of wood, rock or copper, used for breaking bones, as
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...
n
shield
A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...
s were not strong enough to always absorb its impact. This type of weapon was effective in the downward blow, but a lot less practical in other directions. Like other Aztec clubs, its use was widespread, primarily among novice
warrior
A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste.
History
...
s.
Uses in close combat
While advancing unto enemy ranks in battle, after the projectiles were used up, it was held in the shield hand, while the primary hand handled the
atlatl
A spear-thrower, spear-throwing lever, or ''atlatl'' (pronounced or ; Classical Nahuatl, Nahuatl ''ahtlatl'' ) is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in Dart (missile), dart or javelin-throwing, and includes a Plain bearing, b ...
. Upon contact, the atlatl was dropped, where the quauholōll would be used in close combat as a
shock weapon, alongside the
macuahuitl
A macuahuitl () is a weapon, a wooden sword with several embedded obsidian blades. The name is derived from the Nahuatl language and means "hand-wood". Its sides are embedded with prismatic blades traditionally made from obsidian, which is c ...
and the macuahuiltzoctli (a smaller variant of the macahuitl with a pointed tip, and a knob of wood portruding from each of its four sides).
Depictions in illustrations
This quauholōlli is represented in the
Lienzo de Tlaxcala
''History of Tlaxcala'' (Spanish: ''Historia de Tlaxcala'') is an alphabetic text in Spanish with illustrations written by and under the supervision of Diego Muñoz Camargo in the years leading up to 1585.
Muñoz Camargo's work is divided into ...
,
Codex Duran and the
Florentine codex. The warriors that wield it in these depictions, always have a shield. Its representation is practically absent in sculptures. No archaeological specimens of the weapon have been discovered, but probable representations in the form of offerings, of somewhat smaller sizes, made out of obsidian and basalt, have been found in the
Templo Mayor
The (English: Main Temple) was the main temple of the Mexica people in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, Tenōchtitlan, which is now Mexico City. Its architectural style belongs to the late Mesoamerican chronology, Postclassic period of Me ...
and near the
Coyolxauhqui Stone
The Coyolxāuhqui Stone is a carved, circular Aztec stone, depicting the mythical being Coyolxāuhqui ("Bells-Her-Cheeks"), in a state of dismemberment and decapitation by her brother, the patron deity of the Aztecs, Huītzilōpōchtli, Huitzilopo ...
sites in 1979.
Uses in training
It was one of the weapons used for training in the
tēlpochcalli
Tēlpochcalli (, Nahuatl: ''house of the young men''), were centers where Aztec youth were educated, from age 15, to serve their community and for war. These youth schools were located in each district or ''calpulli''.
Life in the telpochcalli
Lif ...
.
See also
*
Aztec warfare
Aztec warfare concerns the aspects associated with the military conventions, forces, weaponry and strategic expansions conducted by the Mesoamerican chronology, Late Postclassic Aztec civilizations of Mesoamerica, including particularly the milit ...
References
Mesoamerican military equipment
Maces (bludgeons)
Aztec warfare
{{Portal , Mesoamerica