Educational purpose only. This post documents historical practices related to executions and aims to educate about historical procedures. We do not glorify violence or hate.
How the Spiked Garrote Execution Device Worked
One of the most brutal public execution methods ever used in Europe was the garrote. While the standard garrote was widespread in Spain and its colonies, a more horrific variation—the spiked garrote (garrote catalán)—was designed to combine strangulation with a spinal injury. This article examines how this device operated and why it was considered one of history’s most agonizing execution methods.
1. The Design of the Spiked Garrote
The spiked garrote consisted of several key components:
A wooden post or chair: The victim was securely strapped to a post or chair to immobilize them.
An iron collar: The collar was placed around the victim’s neck. It had two parts: a fixed section and a movable section.
A screw or lever mechanism: This was connected to the movable section of the collar, allowing the executioner to tighten it by turning a handle or lever.
A sharp spike at the back: The defining feature of this version was a metal spike or blade attached to the rear of the collar, aimed directly at the victim’s spine.
2. How It Worked
When the execution began, the executioner operated the screw or lever mechanism. The process unfolded as follows:
Tightening the collar: The screw pulled the movable section of the collar backward, tightening it around the victim’s neck. This caused strangulation by compressing the trachea and major blood vessels.
The spike penetrated the neck: Simultaneously, the sharp spike at the back was pushed forward, piercing the victim’s neck and spine.
Spinal cord destruction: The spike continued through the cervical vertebrae, destroying the spinal cord. If done correctly, this could break the neck and cause rapid unconsciousness or death. However, in practice, this rarely happened perfectly.
A combined death: In reality, death typically resulted from both strangulation and spinal injury. The victim suffered from both suffocation and the spike piercing their flesh, causing extreme pain that often lasted until death.
3. The Difference from the Standard Garrote
The standard Spanish garrote (without a spike) relied solely on strangulation. The spiked Catalan version was designed to shorten the execution by destroying the spinal cord. However, in practice, the spike often missed its target and only pierced the flesh, prolonging the victim’s agony rather than shortening it.
4. Historical Use and Brutality
The spiked garrote (garrote catalán) was commonly used in Catalonia (Spain) and some Spanish colonies in Latin America from the 19th to the early 20th century.
Deliberate cruelty: The method was designed to maximize pain, and the executioner could prolong the victim’s suffering by adjusting the speed of tightening and the spike’s pressure.
The painful reality: Reports indicate that many victims endured excruciating pain for tens of minutes before death. For example, the execution of José María Jarabo in 1959 lasted 25 minutes and was described as “a true torture.”
Its abolition: The spiked garrote was abolished in Spain in the early 20th century, although the standard version remained in use until 1974, when Salvador Puig Antich and Heinz Chez were executed. The garrote was completely abolished in Spain in 1978 along with the death penalty.
Primary Sources:
Historical records of Spanish execution practices
Witness testimonies from garrote executions
Studies on the garrote catalán and its use in Catalonia
Reports on the last garrote executions in Spain (1974)