María Amparo Muñoz, 1st Countess of Vista Alegre

Doña María Amparo Muñoz y Borbón, 1st Countess of Vista Alegre was the daughter of Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, queen dowager and regent of Spain, and her morganatic second husband, Agustín Fernando Muñoz, Duke of Riánsares. Her full title was María de los Desamparados Muñoz y de Borbón, condesa de Vista Alegre.

Limited Wardrobes for Humble Women

Many humble women owned only two outfits: one for daily work and one for Sundays or feast days.

Long Skirts and Sandals

In the mid-19th century, Spanish women often wore skirts long enough to reach the floor, hiding their feet, although some began to show them while wearing sandals tied with blue ribbons.

Instruments and style in Levante

In the Spanish Levante region, popular music was often performed at home or during festivals using a variety of instruments, including the guitar, bandurria, violin, and traditional percussion like castanets, tambourines, and triangles. These performances were often simple and characterized by a melancholy, genuinely Moorish tone.

Social gatherings and lively dances

Ordinary people often enjoyed social gatherings in tabernas or outdoor settings where they participated in dances like the fandango, which was both sung and danced. These lively gatherings featured instruments like guitars and bagpipes to animate the atmosphere.

Lower Travel Costs for Stagecoaches

Between 1822 and 1854, the price of stagecoach services fell by 57 percent, making long-distance travel more accessible.

Crowded Travel in Covered Wagons

Travelers in the 1830s described extremely crowded conditions in covered wagons, or galeras, where passengers were packed so tightly that moving required everyone to agree to shift in unison.

Limited daily meals for the poor

In poor households, meals were often limited to eating once a day, consisting of simple items like garlic soup, a handful of figs, or a tomato with salt.

Schooling interrupted by child labor

Poor children often missed school to work as shepherds or errand boys, struggling to learn because they fell behind whenever they were pulled away for labor.

High bread prices in 1825

Bread was the essential base of the diet, but in 1825, prices in Jaén could reach as high as 75 reales per fanega due to shortages and market instability.

High cost of wheat in 1825

During periods of severe scarcity, such as in 1825, the price of a fanega of wheat in Jaén could reach as high as 75 reales.

Daily wages for laborers and artisans

In this period, laborers typically earned about four reales per day, while skilled workers could earn up to ten reales.

High cost of basic food basket

A family of four could spend nearly 70 percent of their daily income of ten reales just on basic food, including bread, oil, and beans. Meat was expensive and excluded from the daily diet of ordinary people.

Common occupations were farming, labor, and service.

Agriculture was the dominant occupation, while in urban areas, work often involved manual labor in ports, crafts, or domestic service. Domestic service was a primary job for rural women moving to cities.

Long working days and simple meals.

Working days were often dictated by sunlight or extended by artificial light in factories, sometimes reaching 12 to 14 hours. Miners and laborers might eat simple meals like garlic soup, costing about 3 reales per day.