Thequauholōlli (also transliterated ascuauhololli) was a kind ofblunt weapon used by theAztecs,Huastecs, andTarascans.[1] It is amace-likeclub consisting of a 50 cm (20 in) to 70 cm (28 in) long wooden stick ending in a hard ball of wood, rock or copper, used for breaking bones, asMesoamericanshields were not strong enough to always absorb its impact. This type of weapon was effective in the downward blow, but a lot less practical in other directions. Like other Aztec clubs, its use was widespread, primarily among novicewarriors.
While advancing unto enemy ranks in battle, after the projectiles were used up, it was held in the shield hand, while the primary hand handled theatlatl. Upon contact, the atlatl was dropped, where the quauholōll would be used in close combat as ashock weapon, alongside themacuahuitl and the macuahuiltzoctli (a smaller variant of the macahuitl with a pointed tip, and a knob of wood protruding from each of its four sides).[2][3][4]
This quauholōlli is represented in theLienzo de Tlaxcala,Codex Duran and theFlorentine codex. The warriors that wield it in these depictions, always have a shield. Its representation is practically absent in sculptures.[5] No archaeological specimens of the weapon have been discovered, but probable representations in the form of offerings, of somewhat smaller sizes, made out of obsidian and basalt, have been found in theTemplo Mayor and near theCoyolxauhqui Stone sites in 1979.[6][7]
It was one of the weapons used for training in thetēlpochcalli.[8]
