Tlaximaltepoztli

Tepoztli
Bronze axe form Mixtec culture in the Codex Laud
Type	Axe
Place of origin	Mexico
Service history
In service	Pre-classic to Post-Classic period (900–1570)
Used by	Aztecs, Mayans, Purépecha, Mixtecs
Wars	Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Aztec expansionism, Mesoamerican Wars
Specifications
Weight	1.5–3.0 kg
Length	30-45 cm
Blade type	Curved, thick, single-edged, tapered
Hilt type	Single-handed swept
Scabbard/sheath	unknown
Head type	Trapezoidal
type	Straight or Curved, of a single metallic piece or wooden

The tlaximaltepoztli (tlāximaltepōztli; in Nahuatl, tlaximal=carpentry and Tepoztli=metal axe) or Tepoztli was a common weapon used by civilizations from Mesoamerica which was formed by a wooden haft in which the poll of the bronze head was inlaid in a hole in the haft. It was used for war or as a tool. Its use is documented by the Codex Mendoza and the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer. Tax collectors from the Aztec Empire demanded this kind of axe as tribute from the subjugated kingdoms. In Aztec Mythology the Tepoztli was used by the god Tepoztécatl, god of fermentation and fertility. In Codex Borgia he is represented with a bronze axe.

The Tepoztli, was a weapon used by some kingdoms in Mesoamerica, this weapon was used during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the XVI. It was famously used by the Purépecha Empire from which many original pieces have been discovered. According to the size of the bronze axe heads exhibited by the National Anthropology Museum and also to the images of the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, the Tepoztli was estimated to be 1 foot 3 inches to 3 foot long, and 1 inch and a half wide, it had a hole in the shaft where the head of the axe head was inserted and strongly attached with a natural adhesive based in pine tree sap and coal.

A decorative version of the Tepoztli were the Axe-monies which were highly prized in the late Post-classic, however these objects were not war effective due to their small thickness and also because of their brittle or soft mechanical properties.

This weapon was also used as a tool for the manufacture of wooden objects and it was a regular house hold in the Aztec homes. The axe was part of the marriage dowry between commoners in Tenochtitlan, where it was presented to the wife along with other house hold items