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Luis María Gonzaga de Casanova-Cárdenas y Barón, 6th Duke of Santángelo

b. 1950

Born
24 Apr 1950, Madrid
Country of birth
Spain

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

facts
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sources
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Facts and their sources

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A life in time

  1. Born · Madrid

    Birth, Madrid

What was it like?

The world around Madrid, 1950: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Luis was born the same year as Steve Wozniak, Stevie Wonder, and Bill Murray.

Born the same year

  • Steve Wozniak

    American computer pioneer, inventor, computer engineer and programmer; co-founder of Apple Inc.

  • Stevie Wonder

    American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, composer and record producer (born 1950)

  • Bill Murray

    American actor and comedian

  • George Yonashiro

    Japanese association football player and manager

  • Narendra Modi

    Prime Minister of India since 2014

  • Abdullah Gül

    11th President of Turkey (born 1950)

Fashion

Costly dresses compared to daily wages

In the 1950s, a single party dress could cost 1,400 pesetas, while a female textile worker earned only about 20 to 28 pesetas per day.

Around 1940–1949

Fines for immodest clothing in public

Municipal laws in 1940s Barcelona imposed fines of 25 to 100 pesetas for wearing immodest clothing, such as sleeveless dresses or short skirts, in public.

Music

The Blacksmith's Hammer Song

The martinete is a traditional song associated with blacksmiths, who rhythmically beat their hammers on anvils to accompany their bitter, solitary singing.

Holy Week Drumming in Aragon

During Holy Week in Aragon, the 'Tamborrada' involves a deafening, continuous sound produced by drums and bass drums from Thursday or Friday until Saturday.

Getting around

Regional train speeds in Malaga

Until the tracks were dismantled in 1965, the steam and later diesel train between Malaga and Coin covered 38 kilometers in approximately one hour and 45 minutes.

Donkeys as primary rural transport

In the early 1950s, the donkey remained the primary means of transport in rural areas, frequently carrying both heavy loads and passengers perched uncomfortably on its forequarters.

Daily life

Rural Home Life and Water Access

In rural homes, water was not piped; women and young girls had to transport it daily from public fountains using pitchers and jars. Families frequently lived, cooked, and slept in a single room, often with dirt floors.

Around 1930–1949

Child labor and limited schooling access

Poorer girls often worked as domestic servants for as little as one peseta a month plus food, while others stayed home to embroider or care for younger siblings instead of attending school. Schooling was frequently interrupted by teacher changes or seasonal farm work, with some children walking over two hours to attend.

Food

The sustanciero: selling flavor to the hungry

For a small fee, a sustanciero would visit homes to place a ham bone into a pot of stew for a few minutes to provide flavor to the broth.

Creative survival: coffee and tortilla substitutes

During the post-war years, extreme scarcity forced families to use substitutes, such as making coffee from roasted barley, chicory, or acorns, and cooking tortilla without eggs or potatoes by using orange peels, onions, and flour.

Prices and wages

Low wages and high bread prices

In 1950, an average working man earned about 20 pesetas a day, while a kilo of bread could cost 12 pesetas, making staple food expensive relative to daily wages.

Crafting shoes took 12 hours of work

Shoemakers in rural areas crafted shoes by hand over approximately 12 hours of labor, charging 140 pesetas for rustic field shoes and 300 pesetas for finer pairs.

Work

Long hours and multiple jobs for survival

Due to insufficient wages, families often relied on multiple jobs (pluriempleo) and long hours, extending the workday to the limit of physical endurance. Many workers also took on extra shifts to avoid the need for hiring additional staff, as layoffs were difficult.

Low wages and complex bonus systems

To cope with low base wages, workers relied on various bonuses and overtime, which sometimes accounted for over 50 percent of their total earnings. In the 1960s, a worker in construction might earn around 1,600 pesetas a month, while an industrial worker earned about 2,500 pesetas.

News and letters
Around 1951–1951

Rural Mail Delivery by Donkey

In isolated Spanish villages during the early 1950s, mail could still be delivered by donkey, highlighting the significant rural isolation of the era.

The Postman as a Local Hub

In small towns during the 1950s, the postman's house often served as the local post office, where residents collected mail and sent letters. Because of high illiteracy, postmen frequently assisted locals by reading or writing their letters for them.

During their lifetime

  1. 1950

    Tourism industry boom 1950-1970

    The annual number of tourists visiting Spain skyrocketed from less than half a million in 1950 to over 20 million by 1970.

  2. 1960

    Massive labor emigration to Europe 1960-1975

    Between 1960 and 1975, approximately three million Spaniards emigrated to European countries like Germany, France, and Switzerland to seek work.

  3. 1960

    Massive rural-to-urban migration in 1960s

    In the 1960s, approximately 3.1 million Spaniards moved from rural areas to industrial urban centers like Madrid and Barcelona.

  4. 1966

    Growth of household consumer goods in 1966

    By 1966, the rise in living standards meant that 36 percent of households owned a washing machine, 32 percent a television, and 12 percent a car.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.