Infanta Maria of Guimarães

What people wore

The loba: a versatile outer garment

During the early sixteenth century, both men and women wore a garment called the loba, a loose, ankle-length outer robe that concealed the body's natural shape. It was often worn for public, honorable, or mourning ceremonies.

Daily life

Cooking and staple daily diets

Cooking was done on hearths and braziers using ceramic pots, and fuel like firewood and charcoal was a significant household expense that had to be managed carefully. Daily meals typically centered on bread, wine, legumes, onions, garlic, and seasonal vegetables, with fish providing a primary source of protein.

Music

Common musical instruments in 16th-century Portugal

Common musical instruments in Portugal before 1500 included cordophones like lutes and harps, wind instruments such as flutes, bagpipes, and organs, and percussion like tambourines and adufes. Many instruments were used in secular and religious contexts, though some were banned from religious ceremonies by the church.

At the table

Dietary Staples and Substitutes for Meat

While bread, wine, and soup were staples for ordinary people, meat was considered a luxury, often replaced by vegetables like chickpeas, fava beans, and lentils in their daily diet. Vegetables were typically served boiled as accompaniments in soups or stews rather than eaten raw in salads.

Getting around

Daily travel distances and pace

A hurried group with riding animals could travel about 40 kilometers per day, provided they were not using oxen, which were much slower. Travelers often measured distances in leagues, though these were imprecise and often determined by how many taverns the muleteers wanted to stop at.