Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Gonzalo G · 6th November 2010, 02:54 AM

It seems that the machete is a spanish colonial weapon-tool. Though there is not certainty about the origin of the name, the most accepted explanation relates its origin to a some kind of diminutive of the word "macho", the last used also in the sense of "work", or "the work made by a men" in the area of Mexico and some other countries in Central America, where it has a meaning of "work made on the field".

The morpholgy and concept of the machete has changed through the centuries, as it originally included straight two edged blades. The machete as we know it, seems to have developed originally in the spanish colonial dominion of the Virreinato de la Nueva España (Viceroyalty of the New Spain), which included not only what actually is Mexico, but also part of Central America (yes, Mexico is part of North America, together with the USA and Canada). The word "machete" itself, comes from the Castilian, which now is the offical languaje of Spain, and its adoption in the rest of the occidental world is proof that it does not existed an equivalent weapon-tool there before.

The older machetes are Spanish, made with Spanish blades, though latter blades were also purchased in the USA in the 19th century. In many cases, the blades were made in Spain but handled in the colonies. The industrial revolution and the mass cheap production of blades displaced Spain from the world markets, so England and the USA became new world producers of machetes. It was also a consecuence of the needs from their respective colonies.

I think there are another aboriginal tool-weapons in other parts of the world that, if not with the same exact morphology of the machete, they serve to the same exact purpose. But the lineage of the machete as we know it, I believe it comes from colonial Spanish-America, and more specifically, from the area of the old Virreinato de la Nueva España, though some of their modern forms were designed by the producers from the anglo-saxon world. Today, some countries from Latin America produce their own machetes, and Mexico has the more diversification of forms of handles and blades.

I would wonder if the blades from Collins were tempered or hardened in molten lead, since if tempered it would would imply an unnecessary step, as the blades could be directly hardened in molten lead without the need of futher tempering, but I can be mistaken.
Regards

Gonzalo

6th November 2010, 02:54 AM	#23
Gonzalo G Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Nothern Mexico Posts: 458	It seems that the machete is a spanish colonial weapon-tool. Though there is not certainty about the origin of the name, the most accepted explanation relates its origin to a some kind of diminutive of the word "macho", the last used also in the sense of "work", or "the work made by a men" in the area of Mexico and some other countries in Central America, where it has a meaning of "work made on the field". The morpholgy and concept of the machete has changed through the centuries, as it originally included straight two edged blades. The machete as we know it, seems to have developed originally in the spanish colonial dominion of the Virreinato de la Nueva España (Viceroyalty of the New Spain), which included not only what actually is Mexico, but also part of Central America (yes, Mexico is part of North America, together with the USA and Canada). The word "machete" itself, comes from the Castilian, which now is the offical languaje of Spain, and its adoption in the rest of the occidental world is proof that it does not existed an equivalent weapon-tool there before. The older machetes are Spanish, made with Spanish blades, though latter blades were also purchased in the USA in the 19th century. In many cases, the blades were made in Spain but handled in the colonies. The industrial revolution and the mass cheap production of blades displaced Spain from the world markets, so England and the USA became new world producers of machetes. It was also a consecuence of the needs from their respective colonies. I think there are another aboriginal tool-weapons in other parts of the world that, if not with the same exact morphology of the machete, they serve to the same exact purpose. But the lineage of the machete as we know it, I believe it comes from colonial Spanish-America, and more specifically, from the area of the old Virreinato de la Nueva España, though some of their modern forms were designed by the producers from the anglo-saxon world. Today, some countries from Latin America produce their own machetes, and Mexico has the more diversification of forms of handles and blades. I would wonder if the blades from Collins were tempered or hardened in molten lead, since if tempered it would would imply an unnecessary step, as the blades could be directly hardened in molten lead without the need of futher tempering, but I can be mistaken. Regards Gonzalo Last edited by Gonzalo G; 7th November 2010 at 01:50 AM.