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STEMMED
MACRO BLADES
MAYA CULTURE--LATE PRECLASSIC TO
TERMINAL CLASSIC PERIODS
BELIZE
250 B.C. TO A.D. 900
PAGE 1 OF 4 PAGES
COPYRIGHT AUGUST 31, 2003 PETER A. BOSTROM
Group of 10 Mayan stemmed blades.
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MAYAN STEMMED BLADES
MAYA CULTURE---BELIZE
 LATE PRECLASSIC TO TERMINAL CLASSIC PERIOD
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

   These stemmed blades represent a wide range of sizes of Mayan projectile points, knives and thrusting spears. The larger examples were used for knives and on the ends of thrusting spears. The two smaller examples date to a later period and are believed to have been used on the ends of atlatl thrown spears. All of them were made by Mayan craftsmen in northern Belize with core and blade technology. They are made of Colha chert and they have a variety of different surface patinas. The longest example in this picture measures 11 7/8 inches (30.2 cm) long. The smallest one measures 3 11/16 inches (9.3 cm) long.

  Stemmed macro blades are sometimes referred to as "daggers," "Mayan daggers," "macro blade daggers" and even "tanged macro blades." In the archaeological literature the term stemmed macro blade is used for the large stemmed blades and stemmed blades is the term used for the smaller projectile points.

Mayan stemmed blade projectile point.
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MAYAN STEMMED BLADE PROJECTILE POINT
MAYA CULTURE---BELIZE
CLASSIC PERIOD
PRIVATE COLLECTION

   Small stemmed blades like this example began to be produced about A.D. 800 to A.D. 900 during the Terminal Classic Period. It was about this time that Mayan warriors began to use atlatl thrown spears tipped with small stemmed points made from blades. The stone tool makers of northern Belize made them by the tens of thousands to supply the needs of this new weapon. They are miniature versions of the large stemmed macro blades.
    After this blade was removed from the core the stem was edge trimmed into shape by pressure flaking and one side of the blade at the point was trimmed by pressure flaking to form the point. This stemmed blade is made of Colha chert and it measures 3 11/16 inches (9.3 cm) long.

     The production of large macro blades (without stems) apparently originated in Archaic times in northern Belize, at such sites as the Sand Hill quarry near Belize City. By the Early and Middle Preclassic Periods, from 1500 to 250 B.C., points were sometimes being made on the ends of some of the macro blades.

Mayan stemmed blade projectile point.
MAYAN STEMMED BLADE PROJECTILE POINT
MAYA CULTURE---BELIZE
CLASSIC PERIOD
PRIVATE COLLECTION

   This stemmed blade is another example of the later and smaller versions of earlier stemmed macro blades. This one may also date to the Terminal Classic Period in northern Belize. The point and stem was formed by pressure flaking. Both blade edges, where they were not trimmed by pressure flaking, are still fairly sharp. This point is made of Colha chert and it measures 4 1/2 inches (11.4 cm) long.

     Stemmed macro blades do not become common until the Late Preclassic Period between 250 B.C. to A.D. 250. Although large specimens continue to be made through the Early Classic and into the Late Classic Periods between A.D. 600 to A.D. 900, there is a tendency for them to be smaller through time. Large stemmed macro blades from the Late Classic period have been found in ritual caches.

Large core from northern Europe.
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LARGE CORE
NORTHERN EUROPE
NEOLITHIC PERIOD
PRIVATE COLLECTION

   This large core was collected in northern Europe and is an artifact that dates to the Neolithic period in that region. It can be used here to illustrate the technology that Mayan stone tool makers were implementing in northern Belize to make stemmed macro blades. Colha chert cores of this size and larger were involved in the process of making stemmed macro blades. Preparing platforms and driving off blades in the proper sequence, if done correctly, would produce a copy of a stemmed macro blade.

     During the Terminal Classic Period, sometime between A.D. 800 to A.D. 900, atlatl thrown spears were introduced at a time when warfare became most violent. Production of much smaller stemmed blades began to be produced by the tens of thousands to tip the ends of atlatl thrown spears.

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"REFERENCES"

1965, Willey, Gordon R., Bullard, William R., Glass, John B & Gifford, James C., "Prehistoric Maya Settlements in the Belize Valley," pp. 412, 416-418.
1983, Shafer, Harry J., "Pulltrouser Swamp," The Lithic Artifacts of the Pulltrouser Area: Settlements and Fields. pp.231-233.
1984, Hester, Thomas R. & Shafer, Harry J., "World Archaeology," Exploitation of Chert Resources by the Ancient Maya of Northern Belize, Central America, pp. 157-169.
1986, Hester, Thomas R. & Shafer, Harry J., "The Organization of Core Technology," Observations on Ancient Maya Core Technology At Colha, Belize, pp. 239-257.
1987, Lewenstein, Suzanne M., "Stone Tool Use At Cerros, The Ethnoarchaeological and Use-Wear Evidence," pp. 138,139, 177.
1991,  Hester, Thomas R., Shafer, Harry J., Berry, Thena, " Maya Stone Tools," Selected Papers from the Second Maya Lithic Conference, Technological and Comparative Analyses of the Chipped Stone Artifacts from El Pozito, Belize, pp. 67-82
1991,  Shafer, Harry J., "Maya Stone Tools," Selected Papers from the Second Maya Lithic Conference, Late Preclassic Formal Tool Production at Colha, Belize, pp. 31- 38.
1996, Fagan, Brian M., "The Oxford Companion To Archaeology", pp. 406, 407, 413.
1997,  Hester, Thomas R. & Shafer, Harry J., "Craftsmen to the Kings," Rural Maya Stone Technology at Colha, Belize, pages 1-8.
1986-1997, Personal communications with Tomas R. Hester.

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