Really? Cool :p I'm happy that I could help you.

Rex-I have to agree that your first sword is a a German backsword of the 15-16 hundreds. These were totally popular among German dragoons, who fought on horse or on foot as needed.These dragoons were also known as reiters, professional mercenaries,hired out espically during the various wars of the late 1500's through the 1600's
Your second sword looks like a generic hangar (Infantryman's side arm) and I would say it can be anywhere from the 1600's on. The Dutch in paticular sold these light blades by the ton,literally, all over their East Indian trade empire, usually without hilts.This is what makes them so hard to identify, the current owner put his own personal hilt on it.Without a dated blademakers mark you are generaly up the creek as Louis the XI would say,and said.If the blade has a mark, even if the mark doesn't include a date, you might be able to look it up and get a general idea of the origins,which will tell you nothing of the final owner. These blade often changed hilts.I will try to locate my specific reference, my books are everwhere :)

I do not think that the hanger is European (although the blade may have been made in Europe), nor as old as the 1600s. Hopefully Hal Siegel of Therion Arms will spot this. He seems to know a lot about Latin American edged weapons (of which I think the hanger is an example).

Jonathan

I would have to agree with Jonathan, the blade may or may not have been made in Europe, importation of blades was common in the Americas, but a very active forging trade was also going on by the 17th century especially in South America but nothing about the hilt or the scabbard says European. I had stated in my initila assement that Indonesian or Chinese attributation was a possibility but to me personally it just doesn't seem to "feel" that way to me.

Johnathon-I more or less agree with you, it can be 1700 or 1800's easily. My point is that these cheap hanger blades were sold by the ton as trade goods for the natives, and it is easy to see how a mestizo soldier could pick one up and carve his own hilt to fit his hand and taste.I did find one of my sources, it's "Swords and Hilt weapons" a compilation published in 1989 by Multimedia books, no editor.

Just an addendum-the carving on the hilt just feels mexican indian to me. It also looks (and I may be totally wrong) it looks like the guard and tang were shortened slightly, as though the final owner had smaller hands. Just a thought.