Alfonso Sanz y Martínez de Arrizala

Getting around

Long hours for stagecoach travel

A journey by stagecoach between Manzanares and Granada took 30 hours, while a mule-drawn diligence trip from Granada to Jaen lasted nine hours.

At the table

Common dishes for ordinary families

Ordinary families relied on simple meals like puchero, a slow-boiled stew of chickpeas, potatoes, and sometimes meat, or gazpacho, a cold vegetable soup with bread and oil. Breakfast for many working-class people was often just a jicara of chocolate with a roll.

What people wore

Dancing fashion and skirt lengths

Women's festive dancing attire often included long tails, though young unmarried women were expected to wear shorter, ground-length skirts.

Music

Traditional dances of the seises choir boys

At the Seville Cathedral, choir boys known as seises performed traditional dances for Catholic festivities, often accompanied by castanets and singing.

Daily life

Irregular school attendance due to child labor

Schooling was mandatory for children aged 6 to 9, yet attendance was often irregular as children were frequently pulled out of class to work, perform household chores, or care for younger siblings. Some families struggled to pay for necessities, leading to chronic absenteeism despite legal requirements.