Atlatl
The atlatl, also known as a spear-thrower, is an ancient tool that enhances the velocity and distance of thrown spears. This weapon first emerged around thirty thousand years ago in the Old World and was introduced to the Americas by early Native Americans. In Mesoamerica, evidence of the atlatl dates back to 4000 B.C.E. in the Tehuacán Valley, and it is depicted in Olmec monuments from 1200-300 B.C.E. as a weapon associated with warriors and the elite. The atlatl gained significance in central Mexico and northern Mesoamerican regions where its use was optimal due to the local environment. It was later adopted by the Maya during the Middle Classic period but became more prevalent in warfare following influences from Gulf coast cultures. In Teotihuacán, from 100-750 C.E., the atlatl became a prominent weapon, symbolizing warfare and depicted as a "rain of darts" in battle scenes. Its cultural significance is further highlighted through its association with Tlaloc, the deity of rain and warfare in Teotihuacán mythology.
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Atlatl
Related civilizations: Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacán.
Date: 1200-300 b.c.e.
Locale: Veracruz and Tabasco
Atlatl
The atlatl (AHT-lah-tel), or Olmec spear-thrower, first appeared some thirty thousand years ago in the Old World and was subsequently introduced to the New World by the earliest Native Americans. In Mesoamerica, atlatls are documented at 4000 b.c.e. in the Tehuacán Valley. Later Olmec monuments (1200-300 b.c.e.) depict the atlatl as a weapon of warriors and the elite. Although this is the earliest known depiction of the atlatl as a weapon, it does not preclude the possibility that the atlatl was used in early tribal warfare. Use of the atlatl was generally limited to central Mexican and northern Mesoamerican contexts where jungle vegetation was not a deterrent to the effective use of the spear-thrower. Subsequently adopted by the Maya during the Middle Classic (300-600 c.e.) period, the atlatl was not used as a weapon of war until the advent of Gulf coast and central Mexican influence in the Maya lowlands. In ancient Teotihuacán (100-750 c.e.), the atlatl was the weapon of choice, and so influenced the nature of highland warfare that battles were often depicted by symbols representing a “rain of darts.” Significantly, the antiquity of this instrument undoubtedly lent itself to the atlatl’s embodiment as the goggle-eyed face of Tlaloc—the all-important Teotihuacán deity of rain and warfare.
Bibliography
Hassig, Ross. Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988.
Hassig, Ross. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.