Sacamantecas

Lore & Background

Julian Pitt-Rivers reports in his study of Alcalá de la Sierra the belief that village children can be stolen by an outsider called el sacamantecas, disguised as a beggar or trader, hired by a rich man whose ill child can only be cured with the blood of healthy babies. The practice of blood donation lent credence to the myth. Gerald Brenan describes the mantequero as a monster in human form who lives in deserted areas and feeds on manteca ('human fat'). Upon capture, he shouts in a high-pitched voice and, unless just fed, looks thin.

Reader's Guide

The sacamantecas legend illustrates how folklore adapts to social anxieties, such as fear of strangers, class exploitation, and medical practices. In the urban version, an old evil marquis needs transfusion of babies' blood to rejuvenate. The myth also intersected with real crimes: Manuel Blanco Romasanta made soap from victims' fat, and Juan Díaz de Garayo was nicknamed el Sacamantecas. The 1910 Crime of Gádor involved kidnapping and killing a boy for his blood and fat to treat tuberculosis. Similar beliefs appear in the Peruvian pishtaco and modern organ trafficking urban legends. Brenan notes a similarity to the Persian manticore. The figure remains in popular culture, such as Bernardo Atxaga's Obabakoak and a 2009 Spanish short film.

Did You Know?

• In 1927 or 1928, British writer Dick Strachey was chased by three Romani men who believed he was a mantequero and wanted to kill him for magical remedies.
• Manuel Blanco Romasanta alleged during his trial to be cursed with lycanthropy.
• The 1910 Crime of Gádor involved a wealthy farmer hiring men to kidnap and kill a boy for his blood and fat to treat tuberculosis.
• Gerald Brenan found the myth alive in the Alpujarra region of Andalusia.