Carlos, Prince of Asturias

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

Travel was by mule or horse

Ordinary people relied primarily on mules and horses to travel between towns, as wheeled vehicles were generally not used for long-distance passenger travel during this period.

What it cost

Daily worker income and living costs

A typical household in 16th-century Malaga, with a man earning 2 to 2.5 reales per day, found it difficult to survive due to rising costs.

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.