Joana Manuel de Noronha

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.

What it cost

Price of poultry and meat luxury

In 1499, a chicken was priced at 30 réis, and meat consumption was generally considered a luxury that was not within everyone's reach.

What people wore

Ceremonial dress and mourning attire

Ceremonial clothing in the early sixteenth century was often heavy, uncomfortable, and designed solely to be looked at, intentionally preventing the wearer from performing simple daily tasks. During this period, mourners wore coarse fabrics like burel, almáfega, and vaso as a form of penance.

Daily life

Water often came via vendors

Alongside wells/cisterns, everyday water supply could be handled by water-sellers (aguadeiros), including delivery methods like carts that carried pots of water.

Work

Diverse Jobs in 16th-Century Lisbon

In 16th-century Lisbon, common jobs included artisans, merchants, and numerous food vendors like regateiras who sold fish and produce. Enslaved people also played a major role, working as street vendors, water carriers, and laborers in various trades.

Music

Music during royal meals

King Manuel I enjoyed music during his meals, listening to ensembles playing shawms, sackbuts, cornets, harps, drums, and fiddles every Sunday and holy day.

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.