The term macana, of Taíno origin, refers to a number of different wooden weapons used by the various native cultures of Central and South America.

The earliest meaning attributed to macana is a sword-like weapon made out of wood, but still sharp enough to be dangerous.Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, Decades de Orbe Novo (written in the early 16th century):

• Cominus hi certant vt plurimum, ensibus oblongis, quos macanas ipsi appellant, ligneis tamen, quia ferrum non assequntur...

"In hand to hand combat they generally use long swords, which they call macanas, which are however made of wood, as they don't have knowledge of iron." (p. 127)

• armatum ... arcubus putà & sagittis, machanísque, id est, ensibus amplis, ligneis, oblongis, vtráque manu agitandis...

"...armed ... for example with bows and arrows, and macanas—that is, with large, wooden, long swords which are wielded two-handedly" (p. 180) The term is also sometimes applied to the similar Aztec weapon, which is studded with pieces of obsidian in order to create a blade, though some authorities distinguish this item by using the Nahuatl name macahuitl.

In modern Spanish the word has broadened to refer to various types of blunt wooden weapons, especially a police nightstick.

External links

• Picture of a sharpened macana with no obsidian edge (Spanish)
• Pictures from the Codex Ixtlilxochitl featuring the macahuitl. (Spanish)

Notes