
A new tool for managing the yard in Todos Santos; or maybe killing snakes.. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
For someone who doesn’t like to do a ton of yard work, and has no idea where her next home will be or what the outside will have in it, it seems odd that I now own a machete.
Maybe I should just consider it one of my souvenirs from Mexico. It could be a wall decoration in the future. I’m sure I have a friend who would find it a fun gift if I don’t want to keep it. It could end up in a garage sale. For now, it’s in a safe place.
The U.S. federal government considers a machete an agricultural tool. Makes sense. That is what I see them used for in Mexico, though I’ve never seen a gardener in the U.S. with one or a homeowner. With this designation, it means transporting it in checked luggage or driving across the border won’t be a big deal.

Kae ready to whack some palm fronds. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
I had thought of machetes as weapons until moving to Mexico. I’m guessing I had read a few too many crime stories involving a machete. The only time I remember seeing one in the United States was when a woman brought one to Bread & Broth in South Lake Tahoe, California. This was essentially a soup kitchen where I was volunteering. We brought it back into the kitchen during dinner. The owner said it wasn’t a weapon; it was a tool. She said she used it to clear brush where she camped.
I have never seen one for sale in California, though I’m sure they exist.
I didn’t know what to buy. The hardware store in Todos Santos has blades ranging from 12 to 24 inches. The smallest one also had a serrated edge, which in machete parlance is really “sawback”. This allows for more options for using it, so says the internet. I bought a 20-incher for 69 pesos, about $3.70.

An array of choices at the Romex hardware store in Todos Santos. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
It was seeing Pepe, a gardener my sister had in Todos Santos, use one that first got me interested in this tool. Mostly he used it to cut palm fronds. Pepe has what looks like a small metal device for sharpening the blade. I’ve never seen a sheath. Mine didn’t come with one either. I bought a sharpener, though doubt that will be needed anytime soon. It cost 21 pesos, or about $1.
I could see using the machete if I were ever to have a wood stove again, and collect/chop my own supply like I did when I lived in Tahoe. It would be good on some branches. There are hikes I’ve been on that necessitated bushwhacking and no one had a device to clear the way. Still, it’s hard to imagine hiking with a machete.
So, basically I spent less than $5 for something I have no use for. Still, I’m pretty darn excited about this machete of mine.
Thanks for this interesting piece! I will forward it on to my friend, Marilyn Durkin, who winters for 3 months in Mexico and has grown to love it! Also, my cousin, who taught Spanish and linguistics at U of Montana and loves summering (is that a word?) down there! Keep enjoying and appreciating your environment and the people in it!
We could try it in my yard…
Depending on where you travel next, Kae, you might want to keep it under your pillow!
It would be nice to learn the technique for whacking down tall grass with a machete, we have quite a lot of it here in Tahoe now tho its still green. There’s the question do you chop it down while its green or let it dry out?
With the fire danger hanging in the air now, we could make good use of one.
I have seen workers in Mexico using machetes along the highways to get rid of the grass. It’s the dry season there now.