A large Aztec copper blade in the form of a hatchet. This item would never have been used as a weapon, but would have served as a form of payment. A variety of hoe or axe shaped objects were used as money by the Pre-columbian Indians of Mexico and Peru, possibly as early as the the 12th or 13th century AD. At least one type was still being used in the mid-16th century when, in 1548, a Spanish Conquestador wrote about them, describing their use as money, and gave an exchange rate agains...t the Spanish real. That document exists in an archive in Toledo (Spain) but unfortunatly does not provide enough detail to identify the exact type he saw in use. This particular example is a type is generally found inthe Oaxaca province of Mexico and probably dates to the 14th to 15th century. Length: 15 1/2 inches Weight: 758 Grams It is unbroken with only a crack across a lower corner as can be seen in the photos This item can not be shipped outside of the USA. It was legally purchased in Houston TX from a collection that was formed in the 1960's.