19th Century Spanish Colonial Sword

Jim McDougall · 27th February 2006, 11:36 PM

Hi Robert,
Thank you for responding to my post, and I'm glad the information is of some help. There a number of us who have long been very interested in Spanish colonial weapons, in my case those of early Mexico, especially the espada ancha. If you use the search feature here, using the headings Filipino, Philippines and Insurrection you will find a number of interesting swords similar to yours. It seems some of the discussions go back at least several years. You might also view the outstanding article on the espada ancha written by Dr. Lee Jones as well.

Most of the Philippine weapons found today are 'bringbacks' from either the Spanish-American War or the later occupation of the Philippines in the early to mid 20th century. The Spanish colonial weapons of Mexico tend to date from the latter 18th century well into the 19th, with many examples much later, after the colonial period actually in the pre-Revolutionary period of latter 19th c.

In any case, it is fascinating to see the vast expanse of the Spanish sphere which extended from Spanish Morocco, to Cuba, via Mexico and as far as the Philippines. The diffusion and influences of weapons present many cases of the hybridization we are discussing.

All the best,
Jim

27th February 2006, 11:36 PM	#9
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	Hi Robert, Thank you for responding to my post, and I'm glad the information is of some help. There a number of us who have long been very interested in Spanish colonial weapons, in my case those of early Mexico, especially the espada ancha. If you use the search feature here, using the headings Filipino, Philippines and Insurrection you will find a number of interesting swords similar to yours. It seems some of the discussions go back at least several years. You might also view the outstanding article on the espada ancha written by Dr. Lee Jones as well. Most of the Philippine weapons found today are 'bringbacks' from either the Spanish-American War or the later occupation of the Philippines in the early to mid 20th century. The Spanish colonial weapons of Mexico tend to date from the latter 18th century well into the 19th, with many examples much later, after the colonial period actually in the pre-Revolutionary period of latter 19th c. In any case, it is fascinating to see the vast expanse of the Spanish sphere which extended from Spanish Morocco, to Cuba, via Mexico and as far as the Philippines. The diffusion and influences of weapons present many cases of the hybridization we are discussing. All the best, Jim