The navaja is a traditional Spanish folding-blade fighting and utility knife. One of the oldest folding knife patterns still in production, the first true navajas originated in the Andalusian region of southern Spain (In Spain, the term navaja is often used to generally describe all folding-blade knives.) They were popular with sailors of the Spanish Main who regularly carried them in their waistbands. Though best known for fighting and personal defence, navajas were used for everything from cutting lines, peeling fruit to shaving. The word navaja is actually derived from the Latin novacula, meaning razor, and the Andalusian knife known as the navaja is thought to have derived from navaja de afeitar, or straight razor used for shaving. Like the straight razor, the navaja's blade folds into the handle when not in use and a spring under the blade locks it into place when open. This blade on this one is marked Valero Jun and Zaragoza. Valero Jun was an important Spanish knife maker in the city of Saragoza. The style of the makers mark here indicates the knife was made at the beginning of the 19th century.