Navaja Folding Knife, Circa 1790

Title

Navaja Folding Knife, Circa 1790

Subject

Spanish weapons; Folding knives; Navaja; Naval weapons; 18th century arms

Description

Navajas are traditional Spanish folding knives. They were popular with sailors of the Spanish Main who regularly carried them in their waistbands. Sixteen Navaja-style knives were recovered from the wrecks of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and Santa Margarita. Both galleons sank in 1622. Though best known for fighting and personal defense, Navajas were used for everything from cutting lines, peeling fruit to shaving. They were even used to preform surgery. Over time a locking style blade with a backspring evolved. These knives were called Navaja de Muelles (Spring Knifes). A metal pull ring to release the lock was added in the late 18th century. The ring was eventually discarded in favor of a lever.

The Navaja shown is 17 inches long when open and weighs 10 ounces. The 7 7/8 inch steel blade is nicked near where it folds into the Stag Horn handle. A spring under the blade locks it into place when open and a metal pull ring releases the lock. This style of Navaja is sometimes called a "tail rattler" (cola de crotalo), because the tip of the handle resembles a rattlesnake's tail.

Creator

Unknown craftsperson, Spanish

Source

(1) Navajas of the Galleons by Corey Malcom
The Navigator: Newsletter of the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, Vol.21, No.4 July 2005

(2) The Surgeon by Jan Sanders van Hemessen, 1550

(3) La Navaja Espanola Antigua, "cola de crotalo" (The Old Spanish Knife "tail rattler") by Martinez Del Peral Forton, Rafael 1980

Publisher

weaponscollector.com

Date

circa 1790

Contributor

Frederick Eugene Williams III (known as Jack Williams), Collector

Rights

© weaponscollector.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Attribution required: "From the F.E. Williams III Collection at weaponscollector.com

Relation

The F.E. Williams III Collection of Antique Firearms

Format

image/jpeg

Language

United States English

Type

Still Images; Artifact Documentation

Identifier

111-0265

Coverage

Temporal: 18th Century
Spatial: Spain

Bladed Weapon Style

Navaja de Muelles

Overall Length

17 inches

Overall Width

1 3/8 inches

Hilt Length

9 3/8 inches

Hilt Material

Stag Horn

Blade Material

Steel

Blade Length

7 7/8 inches

Weight

10 ounces