Alfonso Enríquez de Santo Tomás

Alfonso Enríquez de Santo Tomás was a Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Osma (1661–1663), Bishop of Plasencia (1664–1664) and Bishop of Malaga (1664–1692). He was an illegitimate son of King Felipe IV of Spain.

Costs of Fashionable Accessories

In 1680, a yard of the popular thin, black smoke cloak worn by women was valued at seven and a half reales. Meanwhile, a fashionable hand fan in the summer could cost as much as six escudos.

Extreme Baroque Fashion

Farthingales became so enormously wide that two women could stand apart yet still have their skirts touch, effectively occupying the space of a canopy. Women also used corrosive mercury sublimate to whiten their faces, often applying excessive amounts of blush.

Church use of wooden matracas

During Holy Week, the Church allowed the use of wooden noisemakers called matracas to commemorate the death of Jesus when bells were forbidden.

The controversial zarabanda dance

The zarabanda was a popular but controversial dance known for its lascivious movements, often accompanied by singing, guitar, tambourine, and castanets.

A curious spectacle in 1625 Madrid

In 1625, the Marquis of Toral introduced the first glass-windowed carriage in Madrid, attracting curious crowds who followed the vehicle to see if the glass would break on the rough roads.

Common modes of seventeenth-century travel

People traveled mainly on foot, on horseback, or in mule-drawn litters and carts, as carriages were often uncomfortable due to a lack of suspension. The wealthy sometimes used litters or carriages, while the general population relied on horses, mules, or walking.

Accessing water for daily use

While wealthy households might have a private well, most ordinary families had to carry water from the nearest public fountain to their homes.

Nightly waste disposal and street hygiene

To maintain hygiene, residents often threw waste from their homes onto the streets at night, leading to the famous cry of "agua va" to warn passersby. This practice contributed significantly to the extreme filth and foul odors reported by foreign travelers in cities like Madrid.

Survival diet using chestnuts and nuts

In some northern regions of Spain, when grain was scarce, families survived for six months or more by eating chestnuts, nuts, and various wild fruits and herbs. This reliance on non-grain staples was a common adaptation to regional food shortages.

Wine as a safer drink than water

Ordinary people predominantly drank wine because water from rivers, wells, and irrigation ditches was frequently contaminated and posed serious health risks. Wine provided essential calories and was considered a safer alternative to water.

Wages for field laborers and servants

Farm laborers working as live-in servants often earned an annual salary of up to 32 reales, while daily field workers typically earned between 30 maravedíes and 3.5 reales per day plus wine.

Work of the water carrier

Water carriers, known as azacán in Andalusia, supplied houses without private wells by transporting water in jars or barrels using donkeys or mule-drawn carts.

Payment upon delivery for letters

Recipients had to pay the postage fee in cash to the carrier upon delivery, as there were no postage stamps at the time.

Secret notes hidden in objects

People used small, secret notes called billetes, which were sometimes hidden in everyday objects like conservation boxes or inside water jugs to maintain privacy.