María Teresa de Vallabriga y Rozas

What people wore

The High Value of Footwear and Clothing

Rope or wooden shoes were common among poorer individuals, and it was not unusual to find records of people owning only a single shoe or a single stocking. Clothes were so valuable that they were rarely discarded, often being repurposed, auctioned to pay for burial expenses, or given as part of a domestic servant's wages.

Getting around

Daily travel speeds and distances

Travelers using the posta system to change horses at established stops could cover approximately 150 to 200 kilometers per day. In contrast, heavy cargo carts drawn by oxen moved slowly, typically traveling only 20 to 35 kilometers per day.

What it cost

Annual cost of basic food items

In the mid-18th century, a daily ration of 1.5 pounds of bread for a maid cost roughly 576 reales de vellón per year. Meat for a household—half mutton, half beef—cost 730 reales de vellón annually.

Music

Cost of music lessons in Seville

In 1755, dance and music masters in Seville charged three reales de vellón per day for their professional instruction. Lessons included learning how to dance and how to play various instruments.

Daily life

Water access and hygiene practices

Most people obtained water from public fountains, while those who could afford it purchased water from carriers who delivered it to their homes. Due to the difficulty of accessing water, personal hygiene was often limited, and many still followed the belief that water could be harmful to one's health.

Work

Estimated Annual Working Days

In the mid-18th century, the state estimated the typical workload as 120 days a year for farm laborers, 180 for service and industry workers, and 250 for domestic servants.