Blanche II of Navarre

What people wore

The Colorful Woolen Tunic Called Saya

Ordinary people wore a tunic called a saya, which was often made of wool and dyed in various colors like red, purple, ocher, blue, green, white, or black. It was typically worn by peasants and artisans, sometimes featuring an open neck known as an amigaut.

Daily life

Household as the center of life

The household served as the primary center for education, work, and life, with tasks like laundry and water fetching falling to women and domestic servants.

Work

Seasonal and domestic labor rhythms

Daily life followed seasonal tasks like the pig slaughter in November, a scene frequently depicted in medieval carvings and paintings. Household chores often centered around the hearth, where servants and family members performed tasks like drying laundry.

Music

Cathedral music and instrument maintenance

In the Pamplona Cathedral during the early 16th century, musicians such as chirimia players were officially employed, and payments for instrument maintenance, like repairing a bajon, were recorded in ducats.

At the table

Wine as a daily essential drink

Wine was the essential daily drink, considered vital for health and often mixed with water because pure water was frequently unsafe to consume. It was consumed by all social classes, and many people carried their own measuring tools to ensure the wine was diluted correctly.

Getting around

Traveling primarily on foot

Ordinary people primarily traveled on foot, covering a maximum distance of 40 to 50 kilometers in a single day.

What it cost

Labor Wages in Construction Projects

For construction projects like fortification, labor wages accounted for between 65 and 100 percent of total costs.