Ancha/Nimcha

Jim McDougall · 10th July 2008, 11:26 PM

Thank you so much Teodor for the recognition!! I have indeed been fascinated by Spanish colonial weapons for a very long time, and in all honesty, when I first acquired one of these, thought it to be Moroccan.
This was mostly due to the same assumption we see with espada/nimcha as noted here, and the nocked grip as on the Moroccan sa'if ('nimcha').

In studying espada anchas, I could see the influence diffused throughout the Spanish trade sphere, mostly as far as the Philippines, but never saw the South American examples. I first confirmed the identification on this particular form in an item appearing in Imperial Auctions last year, and the blade was marked with motif and inscriptions to Brazil. Review on Spanish trade between the Americas in the 19th century reconfirmed the potential diffusion of these, as well as establishing profound connections with Spanish colonies in Morocco.

This is a beautiful example, and the bird head as well as some of the geometric devices offer some interesting potential for research. The price the buyer got this for is in my opinion an amazing bargain, these are extremely desirable for Spanish colonial collectors!

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10th July 2008, 11:26 PM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,295	Thank you so much Teodor for the recognition!! I have indeed been fascinated by Spanish colonial weapons for a very long time, and in all honesty, when I first acquired one of these, thought it to be Moroccan. This was mostly due to the same assumption we see with espada/nimcha as noted here, and the nocked grip as on the Moroccan sa'if ('nimcha'). In studying espada anchas, I could see the influence diffused throughout the Spanish trade sphere, mostly as far as the Philippines, but never saw the South American examples. I first confirmed the identification on this particular form in an item appearing in Imperial Auctions last year, and the blade was marked with motif and inscriptions to Brazil. Review on Spanish trade between the Americas in the 19th century reconfirmed the potential diffusion of these, as well as establishing profound connections with Spanish colonies in Morocco. This is a beautiful example, and the bird head as well as some of the geometric devices offer some interesting potential for research. The price the buyer got this for is in my opinion an amazing bargain, these are extremely desirable for Spanish colonial collectors!