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Tomasa Aldana

Illescas, 1 Apr 1627 – Madrid, 5 Feb 1675

4 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

  • Born1 Apr 1627, Illescasnot verified1 source
  • Died5 Feb 1675, Madridnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 1 Apr 1627

    Born in Illescas

  2. 1640–1642

    2 children are born

  3. 5 Feb 1675

    Dies in Madrid, aged 47

Family

See the tree

Children · 2

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Illescas.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1620s · Tomasa is born in Illescas

In the news1627

First royal bankruptcy in 1627

In 1627, Spain was forced to declare its first bankruptcy due to the insupportable military strain on the monarchy's resources.

Getting around

Fast travel via relay horses

Travel via the post system was the fastest method, with royal mail and some travelers using relay horses to reach speeds covering 150 to 200 kilometers per day. A trip from Seville to Madrid, for example, was expected to be completed in two days and eighteen hours.

In the news1628

Dutch capture treasure fleet in 1628

In 1628, the Dutch captured the entire American treasure fleet at the Cuban bay of Matanzas, severely impacting the Crown's finances.

Daily life

Cooking in the kitchen

Cooking was done over low-burning fireplaces, using iron trivets to support pots or a "llar" chain to hang caldrons. Food was often prepared and eaten in the kitchen, which served as a primary gathering space for poorer families.

What people wore

The Unbuttoning Taboo

Men in 17th-century Spain were so committed to etiquette that they believed it was a noble affront to ever unbutton their doublet and reveal their shirt, even during a fight.

Music

The controversial zarabanda dance

The zarabanda was a popular but controversial dance known for its lascivious movements, often accompanied by singing, guitar, tambourine, and castanets.

At the table

Survival diet using chestnuts and nuts

In some northern regions of Spain, when grain was scarce, families survived for six months or more by eating chestnuts, nuts, and various wild fruits and herbs. This reliance on non-grain staples was a common adaptation to regional food shortages.