Spanish colonial short sword?

Jim McDougall · 1st November 2023, 08:47 PM

Fernando, thank you for posting those breath taking sabers! and as always, adding the colorful terms for these features. It really adds to the dynamics of descriptions to have such terms in local and period vernacular.

Yvain, I like the dirk very much as I have always been drawn to the rustic charm of these kinds of simple weapons. These kinds of weapons are more likely to be historically associated with the ever present strife in much of Latin America with insurgencies and embattled governments. As of course most insurgent forces were comprised basically of local peasantry, and these kinds of arms often became ersatz weapons used as they were all that was at hand.

These are not much covered in the literature, but this could be around turn of the century, possibly as early as Spanish American war, but more likely a bit later. They must have been produced in good number as they have turned up quite a bit over the years.

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1st November 2023, 08:47 PM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	Fernando, thank you for posting those breath taking sabers! and as always, adding the colorful terms for these features. It really adds to the dynamics of descriptions to have such terms in local and period vernacular. Yvain, I like the dirk very much as I have always been drawn to the rustic charm of these kinds of simple weapons. These kinds of weapons are more likely to be historically associated with the ever present strife in much of Latin America with insurgencies and embattled governments. As of course most insurgent forces were comprised basically of local peasantry, and these kinds of arms often became ersatz weapons used as they were all that was at hand. These are not much covered in the literature, but this could be around turn of the century, possibly as early as Spanish American war, but more likely a bit later. They must have been produced in good number as they have turned up quite a bit over the years.