Margarita Catalina von Habsburg

What people wore

Mercury-based cosmetic face whiteners

Women used a face whitener made from corrosive mercury sublimate to achieve the desired pale complexion.

Daily life

Accessing water for daily use

While wealthy households might have a private well, most ordinary families had to carry water from the nearest public fountain to their homes.

News and letters

Secret notes hidden in objects

People used small, secret notes called billetes, which were sometimes hidden in everyday objects like conservation boxes or inside water jugs to maintain privacy.

Music

Popular and Controversial Zarabanda Dance

The zarabanda was a popular but controversial folk dance accompanied by the guitar, castanets, and tambourine; it was frequently banned for its perceived lascivious nature and vulgar gestures.

At the table

Subsistence diets in northern regions

In some regions like Asturias, families survived for six or more months each year on a diet based on chestnuts, nuts, fruits, and herbs due to grain shortages.

Getting around

Common modes of seventeenth-century travel

People traveled mainly on foot, on horseback, or in mule-drawn litters and carts, as carriages were often uncomfortable due to a lack of suspension. The wealthy sometimes used litters or carriages, while the general population relied on horses, mules, or walking.

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.