Infante Pedro Carlos of Spain and Portugal

Music

Guitar and Castanets in Popular Life

The guitar was the most popular instrument among ordinary people, frequently used to accompany singing and dancing at home, in streets, and at festivals. Dancers often played simple castanets held in their palms to accompany themselves during performances.

Daily life

Cooking and food reliance in modest homes

Cooking in humble homes was typically performed in a multi-use kitchen area equipped with straw chairs, a wooden table, and basic cooking utensils. Bread and wine were the primary staples, and because many poor households lacked space or fuel, people often relied on buying prepared food from vendors, such as fried fish, fritters, or chickpeas.

What it cost

Domestic servant wages and perks

In the late 18th century, a maid working for a family typically earned 24 reales per month in addition to her meals and chocolate.

What people wore

Essential outdoor attire for women

Regardless of social class, women wore a black basquiña skirt and a mantilla over their other clothes when going out in public or to church. These garments were considered so essential that they were present in every dowry, whether from a wealthy or modest family.

Getting around

Road upgrades reduced travel time significantly

Road improvements around 1780, such as the new route between Madrid and Andalusia through the Despeñaperros pass, featured a ten-meter-wide paved road that reduced travel time by three days. Despite these advances, the heavy reliance on oxen for hauling cargo meant that long-distance freight travel remained slow, often limited by the animals' need to graze.

At the table

Diet of the Laboring Poor

Poor laborers often ate soup with oil or cornmeal porridge in the morning and legumes or salted sardines at midday. Wine was considered expensive, so these families typically drank it only on feast days, sometimes to excess.