Elena Sanz

Elena Armanda Nicolasa Sanz y Martínez de Arizala (1844–1898) was a Spanish opera singer from the 19th century and the mistress of Alfonso XII of Spain.

Distinctive festive shawl for married women

Married women in the Sierra de Béjar region wore a green rectangular shoulder shawl known as a serenero, fastened with a silver brooch.

Popularity of head scarves in Navarra

Head scarves were the most common head covering for Navarrese women at mid-century, used by over 37% of the population, sometimes reaching up to 55% in specific areas.

Rise of regional dances and castanets

During the mid-19th century, popular regional dances like the bolero, cachucha, zapateado, and fandango gained significant prominence, becoming a source of national pride. Performers even traveled to Paris in the 1830s, where their performances, particularly the use of castanets, fascinated European audiences.

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.

Stagecoaches traveled 150 kilometers a day

By 1850, stagecoaches regularly covered about 150 kilometers (thirty leagues) in a single day through many hours of travel.

Lower Travel Costs for Stagecoaches

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

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.

Gender inequality at the dinner table

In rural Spanish households during the mid-19th century, men often sat at the table to eat while women served them standing, frequently eating separately in the kitchen later.

High spending on alcohol by families

In some industrial mining regions, families spent over 25 percent of their total food budget on alcohol, specifically wine and aguardiente.

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.