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The Galleries

  • Robert E. Petersen Collection
  • Ancient Firearms - 1350 to 1700
    • Case 1
    • Case 2
    • Case 3
  • Road to American Liberty - 1700 to 1780
  • A Prospering New Republic - 1780 to 1860
  • A Nation Asunder - 1861 to 1865
  • The American West - 1850 to 1900
  • Innovation, Oddities and Competition
  • Theodore Roosevelt and Elegant Arms - 1880s to 1920s
  • World War I and Firearms Innovation
  • WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond - 1940 to Present
  • For the Fun of It
  • Modern Firearms - 1950 to Present
  • Hollywood Guns

Spanish Miquelet Blunderbuss

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  • Watch Spanish Miquelet Blunderbuss

Both the stock and furniture of this blunderbuss bear pagan motifs with sexual overtones.


Mid-17th Century Spanish Colonial Miquelet-Lock Blunderbuss (single-shot/ muzzle-loading/ black powder/ shot ammunition) Originating in Spain circa 1670, this blunderbuss was later repaired in Vera Cruz or Mexico City, where Native Americans had been trained to refurbish firearms. Its furniture contains fertility symbols and faces of pagan gods. This one-of-a-kind arm is thought to represent an amalgam of fervent Christianity and Native lore, and the natives who repaired it are credited with including these characteristics. The gun's miquelet lock (with external mainspring and sears) strikes flint against a steel frizzen to create sparks. It can be fired in wet weather and is easily repaired. Its conical barrel is accurate only at close range, but it can be reloaded quickly. This example probably served Spanish militia cavalry on the northwestern frontier of Mexico. --Dr. William L. Roberts, THE AMERICAN LIBERTY COLLECTION; #8

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