Legal Definitions - horca

horca

In historical Spanish legal contexts, horca refers to an instrument or a designated location used for severe punishment. It could specifically mean:

• A gallows, used for capital punishment by hanging.
• A stick or similar implement used to administer corporal (physical) punishment.
• A specific place set aside for carrying out corporal punishment.

Examples:

• During the colonial era in a Spanish-controlled territory, a decree might have stated that individuals found guilty of treason would be condemned to the horca in the town square.

  This example illustrates horca as the gallows, the structure used for executing criminals by hanging, demonstrating its meaning as an instrument of capital punishment.

• In a 17th-century Spanish village, a local magistrate might have ordered a petty thief to be publicly disciplined using the horca, meaning a sturdy stick or rod, to administer a set number of blows.

  Here, horca denotes the physical implement, such as a stick, used to inflict corporal punishment, demonstrating its meaning as an instrument for physical discipline.

• Historical records from a Spanish military outpost might describe a specific area near the barracks, known as "la horca," where soldiers who committed serious infractions were regularly subjected to physical discipline.

  In this context, horca identifies a particular location designated for carrying out corporal punishment, highlighting its meaning as a specific place for administering physical discipline.