A Pair of Mexican Naval Swords

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Thanks, Jim, as always your vast expertise is always appreciated!
I think that they may have called the shorter sword a cutlass because of the blade length which is only 23" long; also mine has more of a local flavor as the handle is horn.

Thanks David.....with the incredible scope of variation in these Spanish colonial and Mexican weapons its an endless learning process, which is why these are so fascinating.
I agree, the term cutlass has ever been tossed around pretty loosely, and even espada anchas are often termed cutlasses in descriptions, as noted in my paper of last year published in Sweden (but in English). Basically I guess, any shorter blade would qualify as a cutlass? but that becomes confusing due to the naval connotation
Whatever the case, there is a certain rustic charm with these Mexican swords that have been reworked, and that canted horn grip profoundly adds to it!