Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 21st January 2019, 08:04 PM

Thank you Teodor for the link to that 2007 post by Marc (sure do miss his posts) who was in Barcelona. He had some great insights into Spanish and the colonial examples weapons.
My Spanish reading ability is pretty limited, but I got the impression in reading the Calvo text that these types of arms were 'de guanabacoa', not that it is relevant, I'm sure machetes Cubanos works as well.

Like the name or term thing, attribution or classification is always difficult as was well illustrated by the many years of debate over the 'Berber' sabre. Like this example of the OP, the variations of these were found as far as the Philippines, leading to the notion they were from there equally as the other suggestions.
On these guanabacoa(?) machete examples, I have even seen some of these posted in catalogs as Algerian!!!!????

As far as the example I have, the blade with similar markings and a knuckle guard added (stated from Monterrey. Mexico) is mostly akin to a barbeque tool, is rigid and like bar stock steel......it would not function as any sort of weapon except as a blunt force rod, let alone a machete. I do not know the character of the many other examples' blades, perhaps they are sharp.

The photos are I think from the Calvo article, but show the guard and 'shell' as on my example; the repeated pattern motif is similar to that on mine but I think the squiggle type.

Note the striations on the shell, resembling those of the espadas we have considered from South America with those same lines.
Also, it has always been curious that the notched indentation at the top of the hilt of these is effectively on the back rather than as a hand nock as found on nimchas as well as the South American espada,

21st January 2019, 08:04 PM	#23
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,742	Thank you Teodor for the link to that 2007 post by Marc (sure do miss his posts) who was in Barcelona. He had some great insights into Spanish and the colonial examples weapons. My Spanish reading ability is pretty limited, but I got the impression in reading the Calvo text that these types of arms were 'de guanabacoa', not that it is relevant, I'm sure machetes Cubanos works as well. Like the name or term thing, attribution or classification is always difficult as was well illustrated by the many years of debate over the 'Berber' sabre. Like this example of the OP, the variations of these were found as far as the Philippines, leading to the notion they were from there equally as the other suggestions. On these guanabacoa(?) machete examples, I have even seen some of these posted in catalogs as Algerian!!!!???? As far as the example I have, the blade with similar markings and a knuckle guard added (stated from Monterrey. Mexico) is mostly akin to a barbeque tool, is rigid and like bar stock steel......it would not function as any sort of weapon except as a blunt force rod, let alone a machete. I do not know the character of the many other examples' blades, perhaps they are sharp. The photos are I think from the Calvo article, but show the guard and 'shell' as on my example; the repeated pattern motif is similar to that on mine but I think the squiggle type. Note the striations on the shell, resembling those of the espadas we have considered from South America with those same lines. Also, it has always been curious that the notched indentation at the top of the hilt of these is effectively on the back rather than as a hand nock as found on nimchas as well as the South American espada, Attached Images Last edited by Jim McDougall; 21st January 2019 at 08:22 PM.