Sting Ray Spines

Deep within Mexico and Central America, there are ancient burial sites. In many of them are found sting ray spines, thought to be used for blood letting from the ears, legs, or genitals. Both Mexico and Central America are very hot, humid, or dry countries, where a minor cut can lead to serious infections. Yet, ears have been pierced for ear plugs or earrings with little or no ill effects. Not enough blood for any kind of sacrificial act is possible by piercing the ears.

Every time I hear about the blood sacrifices performed with "sting ray spines" in these countries, seems foolhardy, since the spines are serrated and gash the flesh more than normal. As it is, only a few drops would flow at each point with an agave thorn, but not enough for a decent show of blood, while a "sting ray spine" would tear at the flesh as it produces the blood, and also causes disfiguration, not necessarily intended by the donor. All authors, including S. de Madariaga, who wrote the book, Heart of Jade, stated that agavy thorns were used in sacrifices of human blood. Friar Diego de Landa, in his Relaci´o;ons stated the ba, broad and round. . . swims in the shoals. . . If they [the Indians] are careless in their walking, or step on it in the water, it comes up at once with its long narrow tail, and given such a wound with a saw it carries that it cannot be removed without greatly enlarging the cut, the teeth being set backwards. . ." (de Landa (Gates tr.)p. 98)These are baby manta rays actually, who frequent beaches, like in Fort Myers, Florida, when children find them and remove their stingers.(Personal observation).

As it is, the codices that portrayed the "sting ray spines" being used for "sacrifices" usually show the double knob at one end which would indicate that such a tool was actually carved or honed from a human or animal bone joint. The here is that of a human hip bone joint.

An arrow head or a spear head made much more sense in a warring society than an instrument of sacrifice.

At a chance meeting with a relative of a 1922 anthropologist named Love, I heard that arrow points in Venezuela were made with sting-ray spines and coated with poison. For the last two years, I searched for such evidence, but found none. Even though I was told that the Texas Museum of Natural History at the University of Texas had a set of the 1922 arrows and spears, the particular arrow his grandson described was not available. I was frustrated.

Not so long ago, I found pictures of the Yanomamo Indians from the interior of Venezuela. One picture showed young boys running with bows and arrows in their hands. The caption read that the boys were learning to use these weapons. The tip of one of the arrows was long and slender AND black, like a sting-ray spine. I felt that the sting ray spines were trade items from the coast. I wrote to National Geographic Magazine and was informed that the article run in 1976 was too far back for them to research.1 Browsing in a book store, I found a 1962 edition of the National Geographic. This time, it was an article about the Suyá Indians of Brazil. The text stated quite clearly that the arrow heads were made from sting-ray spines inserted into reed sleeves with wooden shafts. This was the same description given by Mr. Love Jr.2

Fray de Landa, in his (1941) Relación de las Cosas de Yucatan showed the Savage Indian with his bow, A plebian Indian leaning on one and several war shields.3 Albert Idell, in his translation of The Bernal Díaz Chronicles: The True Story of the Conquest of Mexico clearly stated bows and arrows4 were used by the Indians and also javelins and slings.5 Sting Ray spines then, cwould well have been used by fishermen and warriors,while manufactured fine flint would be more expensive items for arrows or javelins wasted during a battle.

This then would answer several questions:

Why was there such a quantity of sting-ray spines and fine but narrow obsidian blades in the burials of a warrior-princes?

Why were there so many "incense" pouches displayed in drawings of warriors?

Anyone who has used a sling shot for a weapon would know that a smooth round or slightly oval river stone is an excellent projectile. (Just ask the shepherd David.) They should be chosen carefully. Other stones can be used on the fly, but they are not as effective as the smooth ones. A storage bag is a necessity, especially during a battle.

Nevertheless, sting ray spines are not smooth shafts to draw blood. It seems that they are barbed in such a way that when drawing the spine out, it will further tear the flesh. That is NOT a probable instrument for self-immolation as described by the researchers. Allowing blood to flow for a sacrifice does not imply that the flesh has to be gouged. Modern doctors can make a small incision in a vein or artery (either with a knife or a needle) and get quite a bit of blood before stopping the flow.

The picture from the Codex above, shows two sky deities, each using an instrument ofblood sacrifice but they are not sting ray spines. They are using the hip bone of a human skeleton or a bone from an animal. It has been known for centuries that "gods" do not have "blood" as we know it. Some call the substance ichor. Another point, not recognized is that they each are holding a different item in their other hand. What is that item?

As for actual sting-ray spines which are long, black and smooth--even at the broken end--it would make more sense to have these as "quick-to-insert-into-reeds" at the end of prepared arrow shafts to draw blood in the time-honored profession of war, than that of a religious ceremony. The narrow obsidian blades probably went into the stronger shafts of the javelins. (See Sting-Ray Spines, An Up-date.)

Bibliography:

1 Chagnon, Napoleon. (1976) Yanomamo: The True People. National Geographic, August 1976, 2 (150) 212.

2Schultz, Harald. (1962) Brazil's Big-Lipped Indians. National Geographic, January 1962, I (121) 130,132.

3 Landa, Fray de, (1941) Relación de las Cosas de Yucatan (Trans. Tozzer, Alfred M., Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University Vol. XVIII)p. 98.

4 Díaz, Bernal. (1957) The Bernal Díaz Chronicles: The True Story of the Conquest of Mexico. (ed.) Albert Idell. New York: Dolphin Books/Doubleday and Company, pp. 20, 21, 97,103, 15, 234, 355, and 376.

5 Ibid. pp. 21, 152, 234, 355, and 376.