Maria de Giron

What people wore

Festive Accessories for Women

On feast days, rural women decorated their modest outfits with modest silver crosses, necklaces made of jet, coral, or amber, and ribbons that adorned their chests. While they often worked barefoot, these festive accessories allowed them to appear much more elegant than on regular working days.

Daily life

Food costs and daily wages

For the price of just one blanca—half a maravedí—it was possible to purchase 9 fresh or salted sardines. An average laborer earned about 17 maravedís per day.

Work

Morning hiring and harsh labor control

Laborers often gathered at a designated plaza before dawn to be hired, and municipal authorities sometimes threatened strikers or those refusing to work with imprisonment.

Music

Home music and the vihuela

The vihuela was a widely played instrument at home, and seven printed songbooks published between 1536 and 1576 contain hundreds of secular works including ballads, sonnets, and villancicos. These books were instrumental in spreading music beyond elite courtly circles into ordinary households.

At the table

Bread was the staple food

Bread made from grains like rye, wheat, and barley was the essential daily staple for the common people, often consumed with humble sides like fatback, legumes, or onions.

Getting around

The postal relay system

The postal service system, established in the 16th century, allowed travelers to change horses at relay stations, which was considered the fastest and most advanced method of transport.

What it cost

Daily wages in Seville in the 1550s

A casual laborer in Seville typically earned about 74 maravedíes per day during the 1550s.