Carlos Clemente de Espanha

Getting around

Primary transport modes in Bourbon Spain

Between 1750 and 1774, most travel relied on mules, horses, or oxen, as railways and steamships did not yet exist in Spain. People traveled by coach, carriage, or on horseback, with the posta system providing the fastest travel for those who could afford it.

Daily life

Cooking and food reliance in modest homes

Cooking in humble homes was typically performed in a multi-use kitchen area equipped with straw chairs, a wooden table, and basic cooking utensils. Bread and wine were the primary staples, and because many poor households lacked space or fuel, people often relied on buying prepared food from vendors, such as fried fish, fritters, or chickpeas.

What people wore

The essential Spanish national costume

Women of all social classes wore a black skirt called a basquiña and a head-covering shawl called a mantilla when going out in public or to church, removing them immediately upon entering a home.

Music

Popular instruments and castanets

The guitar was the most popular domestic instrument, often used to accompany dances like the seguidilla and tirana. Dancers frequently played simple castanets, which were held in the palm by a bead tied to their fingers.

At the table

Diet of the Laboring Poor

Poor laborers often ate soup with oil or cornmeal porridge in the morning and legumes or salted sardines at midday. Wine was considered expensive, so these families typically drank it only on feast days, sometimes to excess.