Infanta Margarita of Spain

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

Regulated daily wages for agricultural workers

Agricultural workers in Castile had wages strictly set by local councils, earning between 1.5 and 2 reales per day plus meals during autumn and winter, and up to 4 reales plus meals during the wheat harvest.

Music

Taborers Guiding Festival Dancers

Taborers were hired for festivals like Corpus Christi to guide dancers, often charging for their services by performing in town streets or during processions.

At the table

The staple olla stew for commoners

The staple dish for commoners was a thick stew known as olla, which was simmered for hours and often thickened with flour made from wheat or millet, popularly called flour of the poor. It typically consisted of available legumes, such as chickpeas, beans, or fava beans, and vegetables like turnips.

Getting around

Common methods of travel

Most people traveled on foot or horseback, though wealthy individuals used litters carried by mules or human-powered sedan chairs.

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.