Halfway between a halberd and a spear, the tepoztopilli was equally useful for slashing and thrusting. Conquistador Bernal Díaz del Castillo mentions that on one occasion his armour was pierced by an Aztec lance and that only his thick cotton underpadding saved his life. The last authentic tepoztopilli was destroyed in a fire in 1884 in the Armería Real in Madrid where it was housed.