Infante Alonso of Austria

What people wore

Price of smoke cloaks

In 1680, the price for a yard of smoke cloak, a popular thin black accessory, was set at seven and a half reales.

Daily life

Water storage in homes

Most homes lacked a private well, requiring residents to fetch water from nearby public fountains. Large clay jars were then used to store this water inside the house.

Work

Wages for field laborers and servants

Farm laborers working as live-in servants often earned an annual salary of up to 32 reales, while daily field workers typically earned between 30 maravedíes and 3.5 reales per day plus wine.

Music

Musical Instruments for Domestic Education

In domestic settings, keyboard instruments, the guitar, and the harp were the preferred instruments for the musical education of women.

At the table

Wine as a staple drink

Wine was considered a primary necessity and healthier than water, which was often contaminated; people frequently drank it diluted with water to gain calories and mitigate thirst.

Getting around

Freight carts daily travel speed

Freight carts typically carried up to 1,000 pounds of cargo and traveled at a speed of ten to twelve miles per day.

What it cost

Annual clothing needs in Madrid

In early seventeenth-century Madrid, the estimated annual expenditure for one person included two pairs of shoes.