Infanta María Cristina of Spain

Getting around

Stagecoach travel revolutionizes Spanish transit

Organized stagecoach travel between major cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia began in 1816, significantly reducing travel times by the 1850s. For example, a journey from Madrid to Barcelona that took about 13 days in the 1820s was reduced to 3 to 4 days by the 1850s.

Daily life

Teachers' salaries and housing

Schoolteachers in Santoña were provided with housing in addition to their annual salaries, which were 400 ducados for the male teacher and 200 ducados for the female teacher.

What people wore

Limited wardrobes for humble women

A typical humble woman in mid-19th century Spain often possessed only two outfits: one for daily work and one reserved for Sundays and feast days.

Music

The dance of the Seises

In Seville Cathedral, a group of ten choir boys known as the Seises danced while playing castanets during major Catholic festivities.

At the table

Gender inequality at the dinner table

In rural Spanish households during the mid-19th century, men often sat at the table to eat while women served them standing, frequently eating separately in the kitchen later.