The word torture comes from the Latin word torquere meaning "to twist".

The Strappado

Also called the pendulum or the sling, this was the equivalent of a vertical rack. A rope was thrown over a rafter and one end used to tie the victims hands behind their back. The victim would be hoisted up in the air, and then dropped, suddenly stopping before they reached the ground, dislocating the shoulders.

In 1584 lawyer Paulis Grillandus identified five degrees of torture for this punishment.

• First degree - the victim was stripped and threatened with the strappado.
• Second degree - the victim was raised up off the floor for a brief time by the pulley but no shaking or pulling on the rope.
• Third degree - the victim was hung for a longer period of time but still not jerked.
• Fourth degree - the rope was jerked which caused incredible pain.
• Fifth degree - weights were added to the victim's feet which added to the the pain and often fractured bones or tore limbs from his body.

Escalero (or ladder torture)

The victim was lashed to a sloping ladder, with ankles higher than the head. Ropes were tied around wrists and ankles, and a tourniquet was formed with a stick. This was twisted until the ropes cut into flesh.
An iron prong was used to hold the mouth open and the nostrils were plugged. A strip of linen was placed across the mouth and water was slowly poured over it it until it sank into the mouth causing slow suffocation.

Scavenger’s Daughter

This was also called a Spanish A-frame, as it consisted of a metal A shaped frame, four to five feet high. It had a collar attached at the top, two cuffs at the middle of the two vertical spokes for the wrists and two cuffs at the bottom for the ankles. Muscles would cramp unbearably while wearing this.