Spanish units of measurement
Spanish | English | Length in pies | Length in SI |
---|---|---|---|
punto | "point" | 1/1,728 | 0.1613 mm |
línea | "line"
|
1/144 | 1.935 mm |
pulgada | "inch" | 1/12 | 23.216 mm |
pie | "foot"
|
1 | 278.6 mm |
vara | "yard" | 3 | 0.8359 m |
paso | "pace"
|
5 | 1.3932 m |
milla | "mile" | 5,000 | 1.3932 km |
legua | "league" | 15,000 | 4.1795 km |
There are a number of Spanish units of measurement of length or area that are virtually obsolete due to metrication. They include the vara, the cordel, the league and the labor. The units of area used to express the area of land are still encountered in some transactions in land today.
Vara (unit of length)
A vara (meaning "rod" or "pole", abbreviation: var) is an old
In Texas, a vara was defined as 33+1⁄3 inches (846.67 mm), or 1 yard = 1.08 vara.[citation needed] The vara and the corresponding unit of area, the square vara, were introduced in the 19th century to measure Spanish land grants. Stephen F. Austin's early surveying contracts required that he use the vara as a standard unit. The vara can be seen in many deeds as late as the mid to late 1900s. 1 acre (0.405 ha) is equivalent to 5,645.376 Texan square varas. A league is equivalent to 5,000 varas squared or 4,428.4 acres (1,792.11 ha).
Standardisation of measurement in Texas came with the introduction of varas, cordeles, and leagues.
A measure of 100 by 100 varas (Spanish) is almost 7000 square meters, and is known traditionally throughout Spain and Latin America as a manzana (i.e., a "city block"). As well, lumber is still measured in Costa Rica using a system based on 4 vara, or 11 feet, for both round and square wood. With square wood, using inches, the width is multiplied by the depth to get a measurement called pulgadas, or inches. The lumber is charged 'per inch', which is a measurement of 2.2 litres (11⁄12 board foot).
Labor (unit of area)
The labor (
League (unit of area)
A
A common Texas land grant size, discussed in
The (square) league is still encountered in modern real estate transactions.
Palmo and coto (unit of length)
The
Local units
Although some standardisation was achieved with the law of 1801, particularly in defining the league as 6666+2⁄3 varas long, varying measures continued to be used in various cities and regions.[1]
Town | Vara (m) |
Libra (kg) |
(Media) Cántara[2] or Arroba (wine) (l) |
Arroba (oil) (l) |
Media Fanega (l) |
Legua (km) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alava
|
0.836[3] | 0.4601 | 16.133 | 12.563 | 55.501 (Fanega[4]) | 5.5727 |
Albacete | 0.837 | 0.458 | 6.365 | 28.325 | ||
Alicante | 0.912 | 0.533 | 0.60 | 11.55 | 20.775 | 5.555 |
Almería | 0.833 | 0.460[5] | 8.18 | — | 27.531 | 5.573 |
Ávila
|
0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.96 | — | 28.20 | |
Badajoz | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 8.21 | 6.21 | 27.92 | 5.573 |
Balearic Islands | 0.782 | 0.407 | 35.17 | |||
Barcelona | 1.555 | 0.400[6] | 30.35 | 4.15 | 34.759 | |
Burgos | 0.836[3] | 0.4001 | 7.05 | — | 27.17 | 5.573 |
Cáceres
|
0.836[3] | 0.456 | 1.73 | 1.60 | 26.88 | |
Cádiz | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.922 | 6.26 | 5.573 | |
Canary Islands | 0.842 | 0.460[5] | 5.08 ( Las Palmas )
|
31.33 (Santa Cruz) | ||
Castellón
|
0.906 | 0.358 | 11.27 | 12.14 | 16.60 | 5.573 |
Ciudad Real | 0.839 | 0.460[5] | 8.00 | 6.22 | 27.29 | 6.687 |
Córdoba
|
0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 16.31 | — | 27.60 | 5.573 |
A Coruña | 0.843 | 0.575 | 15.58 (wine) 16.43 (Aguardiente) |
12.43 | 16.15 (flour) | 5.573 |
Cuenca
|
0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.88 | — | 27.10 | |
Girona
|
1.559 | 0.400 | 15.48 | — | 18.08 | 3.762[7] |
Granada | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 8.21 | — | 27.35 | 5.573 |
Guadalajara
|
0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 8.21 | — | 27.40 | |
Guipuzcoa
|
0.837 | 0.492 | 27.65 | |||
Huelva | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.89 | — | 27.531 | 5.573 |
Huesca | 0.772 | 0.351 | 9.98 | 0.37 | 22.46 | 4.1173 |
Jaén | 0.839 | 0.460[5] | 8.02 | 7.12 | 27.37 | |
León | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.92 | — | 18.11 | |
Lleida | 0.778 | 0.401 | 11.38 | — | 18.34 | |
Logroño | 0.837 | 0.460[5] | 16.04 | — | 27.47 | 5.573 |
Lugo | 0.855 | 0.573 | 0.47 | 13.13 | ||
Madrid | 0.843 | 0.460[5] | 8.15 | — | 27.67 | 5.573 |
Málaga | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 8.33 | — | 26.97 | 5.573 |
Murcia | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.80 | — | 27.64 | 5.573 |
Navarra
|
0.785 | 0.372 | 11.77 | 0.41 | 28.13 | 5.495 |
Ourense | 0.836[3] | 0.574 | 15.96 | 13.88 | 18.79 | |
Palencia | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.88 | 6.12 | 27.7505 | |
Pontevedra
|
0.836[3] | 0.579 | 16.35 | 15.58 | 20.86 | |
Salamanca | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.99 | 27.29 | 5.573 | |
Segovia | 0.837 | 0.460[5] | 8 | — | 27.30 | |
Sevilla
|
0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 15.66 | — | 27.35 | 5.573 |
Soria | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.90 | — | 27.57 | |
Teruel | 0.768 | 0.367 | 10.96 | — | 21.40 | 5.573 |
Toledo | 0.837 | 0.460[5] | 8.12 | 6.25 | 27.75 | 5.573 |
Valencia
|
0.906 | 0.355 | 10.77 | 11.93 | 16.75 | |
Valladolid | 0.836[3] | 0.460[5] | 7.82 | — | 27.39 | 5.573 |
Vizcaya | 0.836[3] | 0.488 | 6.74 | 28.46 | 5.573 | |
Zaragoza | 0.772 | 0.350 | 9.91 | 13.93 (aceite) 13.33 (aguardiente) |
22.42 | 5.573 |
Other units
- Adarme and tomín, units of weight.
- Almud, a unit of volume.
- Arroba, the fourth part of a quintal
- Caballería, a unit of land measure in Cuba.
- Celemín, a unit of volume equivalent to approximately 4.625 L.
- Estado, a unit of length used for measuring depths (similar to the fathom); 7 pies
- Fanega, measure of grain by volume
- Ferrado (of which there are 12 cuncas) used in Galicia in northwestern peninsular Spain.
- Jeme, measure of length, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index finger of an extended hand.
- Legua (league), a unit of length.
- Onza (ounce), a unit of weight (28 grammes) used for chocolate.
- Pulgada (inch: 24.5 mm) used in Spain.
- Quintal, a unit of weight.
- Quiñón, a unit of land measure in the Philippines.
- Tahúlla, a unit of land measure in Valencia.
- Toesas, unit of length equal to 66.72 inches (1.695 m)[8]
See also
- International System of Units
- Metrication in Guatemala
- Portuguese customary units
- Systems of measurement
- Units of measurement
References
- ^ Detailed tables in: Instituto Geográfico y Estadístico; Equivalencias entre las pesas y medidas usadas antiguamente en las diversas provincias de España y las legales del Sistema Métrico Decimal; Madrid; 1886.
- ^ "jug" of 4 cuartillos. In Eastern Spain Cántaro. In the West Indies = 15.44 L. In Peru 16.17 L.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Exactly: 0.835905 m. most commonly used vara also in the colonies. Legal standard 1801.
- ^ National standard measure 1801: of 12 celemins à[clarification needed] 4 cuartillos. Larger in the colonies.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Exactly: 0.460093 kg. National standard 1801.
- ^ "medicinal" libra in Barcelona: 0.300 kg
- ^ 4500 varas castellanas
- ^ Rose, Joshua (1900). Pattern Makers Assistant (9th ed.). New York: D. van Nostrand Co. p. 264.
External links
- Vara from the Handbook of Texas Online
- www.sizes.com, "Vara Conversions in 19th Century Spain"
- Rowlett's A Dictionary of Units of Measurement
- Reasonover's Land Measures A Reference to Spanish and French land measures(and their English equivalents with conversion tables) used in North America
- http://www.sizes.com/units/