The “horrible scene of the blood and carnage” described by Mormon in his record (Mormon 4:11, 21, and 5:8) and his letter to his son (Moroni 9) and the account of many thousands of people having been slaughtered, bring to mind the weapon known as a macuahuitl. This weapon, a particularly effective and brutal one, was used by the Aztec, Maya, and several other Central and South American native peoples. The weapon was constructed of a strong wooden baton, with sharp obsidian blades inserted along two edges. A sword that was even a foot shorter than these long “slashers” would not have been able to stand up against such a weapon. The obsidian blades were said by the Spanish who invaded the Americas to be neither breakable nor extractable. Obsidian is the sharpest, natural edge that is found. Before there were lasers, obsidian flakes were used to perform surgery.
In addition, when Spanish soldiers arrived in Mexico to conquer, they were met by a number of Aztec soldiers, who, they reported, could decapitate a horse with their swords. People assumed the conquistadors had exaggerated in order to make themselves look better when they reported what a great victory they had won. Later evidence supports that they were not exaggerating. Weapons and records found in archaeological work have supported their statements.
Although no one is certain that such weapons were used in Mormon’s battles, they would certainly have added to the appearance of a great deal of “blood and carnage” when compared with the traditional weapons that were known in Europe and the Americas in the 1800’s.
Matthew Roper, “To Inflict the Wounds of Death,” FairMormon Presentation 2016, online at fairmormon.org.
Matthew Roper, “Swords and ‘Cimeters’ in the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8, no. 1 (1999): 35–43.