Aztec Weapons

Tahir 6JW

Ballista
Catapults are pretty amazing pieces of machinery. They can fling large objects over great
distances and cause a considerable amount of damage. Or you can make a hand-held one with
a bit of elastic and a forked stick, which will enable you to shoot pebbles at the window of
your object of desire/hate in the middle of the night.

Trebuchet
Trebuchets were commonly constructed at the site of a siege, and made from two giant
wooden A-frames (about four metres high, some can be about four stories high) put parallel
together, and then set on a large solid timber ground plate. This ground plate was as long as
the trebuchet was high, thus preventing the weapon from crashing to the ground when fired.

Atlatl
In the time between the use of the hand-thrown spear and the advent of the bow and
arrow, a curious adaptation of the spear came about. In the Aztec language, Atlatl means
"spear thrower". An atlatl is about two feet long and similar in appearance to a large
crocheting needle, with the hook of the needle being fitted into the end of the dart.