Facón
Encyclopedia
A facón is a fighting
and utility knife
widely used in Argentina
, Brazil
, and Uruguay
as the principal tool and weapon of the gaucho
of the South America
n pampas. Often fitted with an elaborately decorated metal hilt and sheath, the facón has a large, heavy blade measuring from 25 cm (10 in.) to 51 cm (20 in.) in length.
. Deprived of their ability to wear a sword by various edicts, Argentine and Uruguayan gentlemen in South America adopted the facón as well. The facón was later universally adopted by the gaucho and by men of the rural working class in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
The facón is both a fighting knife
and a utility knife
, and is widely used in Argentina
, Brazil, and Uruguay
. The knife is typically worn at the back and tucked into the gaucho's belt to allow it to be quickly drawn with the right hand. As a fighting knife, the facón is the main article of combat in an indigenous style of knife fighting known as escrima criolla ("Creole fencing") When used in this context, one hand holds the knife, and a poncho or coat is wrapped about the opposite arm to absorb cuts and stabs in a manner reminiscent of traditional Andalusian knife fighting styles using the long-bladed Spanish clasp knife or navaja sevillana.
As Charles Darwin said of the distinctive men who wore and used the facón, "Many quarrels arose, which from the general manner of fighting with the knife often proved fatal."
Fighting knife
A fighting knife is a knife with a blade designed to inflict a lethal injury in a physical confrontation between two or more individuals at very short range...
and utility knife
Utility knife
A utility knife is a knife used for general or utility purposes. The utility knife was originally a fixed blade knife with a cutting edge suitable for general work such as cutting hides and cordage, scraping hides, butchering animals, cleaning fish, and other tasks.Today, the term "utility knife"...
widely used in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
as the principal tool and weapon of the gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
of the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n pampas. Often fitted with an elaborately decorated metal hilt and sheath, the facón has a large, heavy blade measuring from 25 cm (10 in.) to 51 cm (20 in.) in length.
History
The facón is a derivation of the Portuguese faca, a large-bladed fighting and utility knife that accompanied Portuguese explorers and émigrés during their settlement and exploration of BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Deprived of their ability to wear a sword by various edicts, Argentine and Uruguayan gentlemen in South America adopted the facón as well. The facón was later universally adopted by the gaucho and by men of the rural working class in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Description
An 1830 article on the facón carried by the gaucho of that era describes it as a "carving knife" with a blade fourteen inches in length; it was carried in a leather sheath worn either in a waist sash or tucked into leggings. Some examples were converted from cut-down swords, while others were forged locally by blacksmiths.The facón in use
Fighting knife
A fighting knife is a knife with a blade designed to inflict a lethal injury in a physical confrontation between two or more individuals at very short range...
and a utility knife
Utility knife
A utility knife is a knife used for general or utility purposes. The utility knife was originally a fixed blade knife with a cutting edge suitable for general work such as cutting hides and cordage, scraping hides, butchering animals, cleaning fish, and other tasks.Today, the term "utility knife"...
, and is widely used in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Brazil, and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. The knife is typically worn at the back and tucked into the gaucho's belt to allow it to be quickly drawn with the right hand. As a fighting knife, the facón is the main article of combat in an indigenous style of knife fighting known as escrima criolla ("Creole fencing") When used in this context, one hand holds the knife, and a poncho or coat is wrapped about the opposite arm to absorb cuts and stabs in a manner reminiscent of traditional Andalusian knife fighting styles using the long-bladed Spanish clasp knife or navaja sevillana.
As Charles Darwin said of the distinctive men who wore and used the facón, "Many quarrels arose, which from the general manner of fighting with the knife often proved fatal."