+ Castilian system of distance units Spanish English Length in pies Length in SI "point" 0.1613 mm "line" 1/144 1.935 mm "inch" 1/12 23.216 mm "foot" 1 278.6 mm "yard" 3 0.8359 m "pace" 5 1.3932 m "mile" 5,000 1.3932 km "old league" 15,000 4.1795 km "league" 20,000 5.5727 km
There are a number of Spanish units of measurement of length or area that are now 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.
(unit of length)
A (meaning "rod" or "pole", abbreviation: var) is an old Spanish unit of length. Varas are a surveying unit that appear in many deeds in the southern United States due to the land previously being part of Mexico, and becoming part of the United States under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Varas were also used in many parts of Latin America. It varied in size at various times and places; the Spanish unit was set at about in 1801. In Argentina, the vara measured about , and typical urban lots are wide (10 Argentine varas). At some time a value of was adopted in California.
Standardisation of measurement in Texas came with the introduction of , cordeles, and leagues. In Texas, a was defined as , or 1 yard = 1.08 . The and the corresponding unit of area, the square , were introduced in the 19th century to measure Spanish land grants. Stephen F. Austin's early surveying contracts required that he use the as a standard unit. The can be seen in many deeds as late as the mid to late 1900s. is equivalent to 5,645.376 Texan square . A league is equivalent to 5,000 squared or .
A measure of 100 by 100 (Spanish) is almost 7000 square meters, and is known traditionally throughout Spain and Latin America as a (i.e., a "city block"). As well, lumber is still measured in Costa Rica using a system based on 4 , 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 , or inches. The lumber is charged 'per inch', which is a measurement of .
Palmo and coto (unit of length) The palmo ("palm") measured the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger with all fingers splayed. Its standardized value is (9 pulgadas). Half of a palmo in Castile was called the coto, described as six fingers and defined as . The ancient Romans had a similar, smaller unit called the palmus, which was .
Other Units of length , a unit of length used for measuring depths (similar to the fathom); 7 (inch: 23 mm) used in Spain. Jeme, measure of length, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index finger of an extended hand. (league), a unit of length. , unit of length equal to
(unit of area) The ( in West Texas) is a unit of area, used to express an area of land, that is equal to 1 million square . A is equivalent to about . It was used in the archaic system of old Spanish land grants affecting Texas and parts of adjoining states. The is often used as an approximate equivalent to a quarter-section (that is, one quarter of a square mile of land). It is still encountered in modern real estate transactions.
Other Units of area , a unit of land measure in Honduras. , a unit of land measure in Cuba. , a unit of land measure in the Philippines. , a unit of land measure in Valencia. League (unit of area) A league can also be a unit of area, used to express the area of land, that is equal to 25 million square . A (square) league is equivalent to about . It was used in the archaic system of old Spanish land grants affecting Texas and parts of adjoining states and this use of league is used throughout the Texas Constitution.
A common Texas land grant size, discussed in James A. Michener's Texas, was a " and a league": a of good riparian land and a (square) league of land away from the river.
The (square) league is still encountered in modern real estate transactions.
Local units Although some standardisation was achieved with the law of 1801, particularly in defining the league as long, varying measures continued to be used in various cities and regions.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. Town(m) (kg)"jug" of 4 . In Eastern Spain . In the West Indies = 15.44 L. In Peru 16.17 L. or (wine)(l) (oil)(l)(l)(km)Alava0.8360.460116.13312.56355.501 (National standard measure 1801: of 12 à 4 . Larger in the colonies.)5.5727Albacete0.8370.4586.36528.325Alicante0.9120.5330.6011.5520.7755.555Almería0.8330.4608.18 27.5315.573Ávila0.8360.460Exactly: 0.460093 kg. National standard 1801.7.96 28.20Badajoz0.8360.4608.216.2127.925.573Balearic Islands0.7820.40735.17Barcelona1.5550.400"medicinal" libra in Barcelona: 0.300 kg30.354.1534.759Burgos0.836Exactly: 0.835905 m. most commonly used also in the colonies. Legal standard 1801.0.40017.05 27.175.573Cáceres0.8360.4561.731.6026.88Cádiz0.8360.4607.9226.265.573Canary Islands0.8420.4605.08 (Santa Cruz)5.34 (Las Palmas)31.33 (Santa Cruz)Castellón0.9060.35811.2712.1416.605.573Ciudad Real0.8390.4608.006.2227.296.687Córdoba0.8360.46016.31 27.605.573A Coruña0.8430.57515.58 (wine)16.43 ()12.4316.15 (flour)5.573Cuenca0.8360.4607.88 27.10Girona1.5590.40015.48 18.083.7624500 Granada0.8360.4608.21 27.355.573Guadalajara0.8360.4608.21 27.40Guipuzcoa0.8370.49227.65Huelva0.8360.4607.89 27.5315.573Huesca0.7720.3519.980.3722.464.1173Jaén0.8390.4608.027.1227.37León0.8360.4607.92 18.11Lleida0.7780.40111.38 18.34Logroño0.8370.46016.04 27.475.573Lugo0.8550.5730.4713.13Madrid0.8430.4608.15 27.675.573Málaga0.8360.4608.33 26.975.573Murcia0.8360.4607.80 27.645.573Navarra0.7850.37211.770.4128.135.495Ourense0.8360.57415.9613.8818.79Palencia0.8360.4607.886.1227.7505Pontevedra0.8360.57916.3515.5820.86Salamanca0.8360.4607.9927.295.573Segovia0.8370.4608 27.30Sevilla0.8360.46015.66 27.355.573Soria0.8360.4607.90 27.57Teruel0.7680.36710.96 21.405.573Toledo0.8370.4608.126.2527.755.573Valencia0.9060.35510.7711.9316.75Valladolid0.8360.4607.82 27.395.573Vizcaya0.8360.4886.7428.465.573Zaragoza0.7720.3509.9113.93 (aceite)13.33 ()22.425.573
Other units Units of weight (ounce), a unit of weight (28 grammes) used for chocolate. , subdivision of the ounce. , subidivision of the adarme. subdivision of the ounce, used for pharmaceuticals. (pound), a unit of weight equivalent to 16 . , a unit of weight equivalent to 100 . , the fourth part of a Units of volume , a unit of volume. , a unit of volume equivalent to approximately 4.625 L. , measure of grain by volume (of which there are 12 ) used in Galicia in northwestern peninsular Spain.
See also International System of Units Metrication in Guatemala Portuguese customary units Systems of measurement Units of measurement
References
External links
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/