"Swords" are mentioned in Alma 2:12. According to an article by William Hamblin and Brent Merrill, from the Mesoamerican perspective, the most likely candidate for the Book of Mormon sword is the weapon known in Nahuatl (Aztec) as the macuahuitl or macana. The macuahuitl was constructed from a long staff or large paddle-shaped piece of wood. Sharp obsidian flakes were fixed into the edges of the wooden blade, giving it a deadly cutting edge. There are numerous representations of the macuahuitl in Mesoamerican art, the earliest dating back to the Pre-Classic era. Thus, some type of the macuahuitl sword was known and used in Book of Mormon times.
The cutting power of the obsidian edge of the macuahuitl was renowned at the time of the Spanish Conquest. An obsidian edge was even as sharp as that of surgical steel. In one famous incident, a Maya warrior cut off the head of a Spaniard's horse with one blow of a macuahuitl. [William J. Hamblin and A. Brent Merrill, "Swords in the Book of Mormon," in Warfare in the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., pp. 338-341]
Geographical theory map: Alma 2:1-20 ([Illustration]) The Amlicite war begins - an all day battle (5th year)
Alma 2:12 Swords ([Illustration]): Pre-Classic warrior (before A.D. 200) from sculpture in Cave of Loltun, Yucatan, Mexico. His right hand holds a macuahuitl; his left, a possible scimitar. Note the obsidian blade on the top of the macuahuitl, which gives it a point and makes it useful for thrusting (see Alma 44:13), where a Nephite places the scalp of Zerahemnah on the point of his sword. [William J. Hamblin and A. Brent Merrill, "Swords in the Book of Mormon," in Warfare in the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 339]
Alma 2:12 Swords ([Illustration]): Left drawing is of a late Aztec macuahuitl. Right drawing is of a Maya macuahuitl. [William J. Hamblin and A. Brent Merrill, "Swords in the Book of Mormon," in Warfare in the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 340]