Based on the size of the bronze axe heads exhibited by the National Anthropology Museum and images in the Codex Fejérváry-Mayer, the tepoztli is estimated to have been 1.3 to 3 ft (0.40 to 0.91 m) long and 1.5 in (38 mm) wide.

Its design featured a hole in the shaft where the axe head was inserted and firmly attached using a natural adhesive made from pine tree sap and coal.

[5] Ecuadorian and west Mexican objects show that not only were the artifacts were found in analogous archeological context, but they share identical chemical composition and manufacturing techniques, and their designs are very similar.

[7] This cold work treatment increased the hardness of the axe in this important area, while leaving the rest of the structure more soft so it could resist the impacts of daily use.

This brass and other plates or more strong metal sheets were recovered from Tabasco (they came from Yucatán)The tlaximaltepoztli was widely used in many regions of Mesoamerica since many different cultures were very specialized in metallurgics,[12][13] they also used bronze for making tools in order to create stone sculptures and gravestones.

The bronze axe is mentioned in the Relación de Michoacán, in the story of the Purepecha's Princess Erendira, who resisted the Spanish invasion.