Contents
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SPANISH SWORDS
MATEO PYTHON SWORD. Author: Vicente Toledo Momparler (sword expert)
| Reference | 2-1520-A |
|---|---|
| Name | Python Sword “MATEO” |
| Period | 16th Century |
| Fittings | Forged steel with gold and silver ataúja in small alternating stripes with acanthus leaves. Good-sized disc pommel without a button. Tapered wooden grip covered with crimson cloth. Straight, engraved cross-guard, widening at the end and turning in opposite directions, one towards the obverse and one towards the reverse. Central shield from which a circular protective ring extends, with the quillons and two side-plates that close at the back and finish with two python heads at the front of the ricasso, which has a narrowing and the mark of the smith. |
| Blade | Straight. Double-edged with two flats to the end. |
| Inscription | MATEO / Monogram of Jesus Christ |
| Initial Owner | D. Francisco Pizarro |
| Birth | 1470-80 in the city of Trujillo (Castile) |
| Death | 1541 in Lima (Peru) |
| Historical Description | He was the conqueror of Peru and founder of Lima, after subduing the Inca empire and executing Atahualpa. He was appointed, by His Majesty King Charles I of Spain and V of Germany, as governor of New Castile, whose government was based in Lima, a territory that, upon his death, became the Viceroyalty of Peru. |
| Total Length | 1038 mm |
| Blade Length | 830 mm |
| Blade Width | 27 mm |
| Museum | Royal Armory of Madrid |
| Inventory Number | NATIONAL HERITAGE no. inv. G-35 |
