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Spanish Colonial Cross Stirrup

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:800.00 - 1,200.00 USD
Spanish Colonial Cross Stirrup
13” x 7 1/2”, 17th century, iron Estribo de Cruz (Stirrup of the Cross). Cruciform stirrups date from the 1600s-1700s, deriving the name from their shape — that of the Latin Cross. Though popularized by the earliest colonialists in Mexico, they actually originated with the Moors, who brought them to Spain with their invasion in 711 A.D. Since these highly decorative stirrups have some resemblance to the Miter Cap of a Bishop, the Church declared that they were sacrilegious and took steps to outlaw their usage. Usually they are found with the horizontal and vertical bars trimmed to comply with the edict of the Church. It is believe that these were used by the Spanish conquistadors as weapons against the hapless natives that they conquered.