Q134910298

At the table

Staple diet of ordinary families

For ordinary people, the diet was based on bread made from rye, wheat, or millet, often accompanied by soup, legumes, or a small portion of fatback. Meat was a rare luxury for common families, typically reserved for special occasions.

What people wore

Everyday peasant attire staples

Peasant women typically wore a linen or hemp shirt and bodice under a saya (skirt) and a black woolen mantelo, while men wore knee-length breeches and coarse buriel jackets.

Getting around

Limited river navigation

Rivers in the region were generally not navigable, except for the Ebro, where small boats transported goods like grain, wine, and iron.

What it cost

Cost of soldier footwear

A pair of single-soled shoes for a soldier cost 5 baços, while a pair with two soles cost 7 baços.

Music

Singing Popular Romances

Romances, which functioned as popular ballads for sharing news and stories of chivalry, were commonly sung at home by people accompanying themselves on plucked string instruments.

Daily life

Wine preferred over unsafe water

Ordinary people in Habsburg Spain frequently preferred wine over water, as the water supply was often unsafe and could cause gastrointestinal illnesses.