La Mancha - History Lab

Migration of locusts in Extremadura, La Mancha and Córdoba, 1776-1783

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:18 +0000

Locust infestations were a major concern in the primary sector during the Modern Age. In an agricultural economy, where the possibilities of growth and development were linked to the production of the harvest, the total or partial loss of the crop caused considerable devastation, or even death by starvation. How were these pests formed and how did they move through the different localities and fields? The author hypothesises that these invertebrates underwent frequent changes in their phenotypes, which led them to change their behaviour, far from their usual solitary behaviour, and to become pests in search of food. The resource shows the advance of the locust in the provinces of La Mancha, Extremadura and Cordoba at the end of the 18th century. Coming from La Mancha, the invertebrate followed its apparent usual south-north direction, passing through Almadén, branching off towards Trujillo and Guadalupe in Extremadura to, on the one hand, head towards Plasencia in 1781, while on the other hand turning towards Talavera de la Reina and Toledo. The plagues began to subside from 1783 onwards and ceased in 1785, when the swarms were dissolved due to climatic and human causes.

The post Migration of locusts in Extremadura, La Mancha and Córdoba, 1776-1783 first appeared on History Lab.

Map of El Ballestero (Albacete) in 1752

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

The Cadastre of the Marquis de la Ensenada, carried out in the middle of the 18th century, was a great impetus on the part of the government to increase fiscal and demographic control. Of all the areas concerned, such as professions, location, economic activities, number of inhabitants, churches, brotherhoods, and the surroundings of the municipalities, it is the latter which graphically revealed the context in which the households were settled.
This example of the village of El Ballestero, dependent as a hamlet on the town of Alcaraz during the Modern Age, had begun its urban configuration before its emancipation. In 1752 we see a total of 7 roads containing a total of 61 dwelling houses. The main areas of the town centre were located around the square and the church. The average size of all the buildings in El Ballestero ranged between 100 and 150 m2. The average household size was 3.6 tenants, and nuclear households accounted for 80% of the total.

The post Map of El Ballestero (Albacete) in 1752 first appeared on History Lab.

Plan of a cave-house in Balazote (Albacete) in the middle of the 18th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

Within the varied architecture of the dwelling, in the rural world we find cave-houses: dwellings excavated in the rock which could be simple, with a kitchen and a room, or more complex, with a greater number of rooms and even fireplaces. Among the latter we find the cave-house of José Antonio López, a resident of Balazote (Albacete). This house had several rooms that were enlarged according to the needs of the household. The façade, where small windows were located, was reinforced with buttresses, while the rest of the house could be varnished with insulating and waterproof materials. The kitchen had a large chimney to ventilate the entire architectural framework.

The post Plan of a cave-house in Balazote (Albacete) in the middle of the 18th century first appeared on History Lab.

Surroundings of a farmhouse in the mid-18th century. Lezuza (Albacete)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

During the Modern Age, it was common for large landowners to have farmhouses to carry out agricultural or livestock work. These were distributed around population centres, in the countryside and, if possible, near a river or stream. The constructive complexes were constituted as independent labour cells scattered around the territory, with bedrooms, kitchen, pantry, storage of grain, animals and farm implements. Architecturally, the composition consisted of a central courtyard surrounded by rooms for work and for storing livestock, such as corrals and stables. This courtyard had a direct exit to the outside without the need to pass through the rest of the house. The residential rooms were divided: while the owners occupied the main house, usually in the front area, in front of the courtyard, the workers occupied secondary rooms and independent outbuildings. The kitchen was large enough to bring the workers together. Finally, the building materials used were intended to ensure thermal insulation and waterproofing.

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The post Surroundings of a farmhouse in the mid-18th century. Lezuza (Albacete) first appeared on History Lab.

House with tiled roof in eastern La Mancha in 1761

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

The form, structure and materials of dwellings in inland Spain in the mid-18th century were conditioned by the quality that their tenants could afford. Of the various architectural typologies, the tejavana house was the simplest, what did it consist of? It was a single-storey dwelling without a chamber, covered with a single tile or some other impermeable material. Within its interior structure it could have numerous rooms. Such was the case of Josefa Soriano, widow of Joaquín de Motos from the town of Munera (Albacete). This house had several outbuildings and a corral where she kept animals for her subsistence. The increase in the standard of living meant that the materials used were better, with masonry walls embedded in the earth. The roof could be tiled or covered with vegetation to allow rainwater to run off, while the interior structure did not use brick, but rather wooden partitions with reed interwoven with a layer of plaster on both sides. Wood was also used for the roof frame, varying between pine, poplar and juniper.

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Plan of a perched house in 1752. Lezuza

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

In the Modern Age, the type and composition of the dwelling was determined by the economic level of the individuals who lived there. Of the diverse typology that existed, the perched houses were the most common in inland Spain. What is a perched house? They are dwellings with a floor or chamber of low height that were accessed by means of a ladder or a masonry staircase. The floor of the house was made of rammed clay soil, although it could also be made of plaster or wood laid on planks. While the ground floor of the house was divided into several rooms or halls, the second floor had no dividing elements and could occupy all or part of the surface area.
The plan shown here corresponds to the house of the wealthy scribe Cristóbal Vázquez of Lezuza, consisting of a doorway, kitchen, two perched rooms, a hanging, a tack room and a corral. In this case, the first floor is located above the ground floor sections of the rooms and the doorway. The second part of the dwelling, the corral and stables, had its own exit to the outside through a gate to facilitate communication.

The post Plan of a perched house in 1752. Lezuza first appeared on History Lab.

Volumetric plan of a farmhouse in Lezuza (Albacete) in the mid-18th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

During the Modern Age, houses were not only found within cities, towns or villages; they could also be located away from population centres, surrounded by land for cultivation or livestock farming. These are the farmhouses. These integrated residential and economic functions of the primary sector into their structure. The spatial and functional organisation of their construction is conditioned by their purpose, although it was common for them to be built around a central courtyard with an independent exit. Surrounding the courtyard would be the areas where animals or farm implements were kept, while the residential rooms would be located in the main façade area.
The volumetric plan shown here corresponds to the Casa Cucharro, located in the municipality of Lezuza (Albacete). It is a complex made up of several dwellings and courtyards. The main dwelling corresponds to the owners, while the adjoining ones are reserved for the workers. The courtyard was used for economic work, and is surrounded by hutches for sheltering the animals at night. The building complex is crowned by a chamber used as a storehouse for grain, harvesting tools and other items of little daily use.

The post Volumetric plan of a farmhouse in Lezuza (Albacete) in the mid-18th century first appeared on History Lab.

Roof of a shed in Cañada Molina

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

The architecture of the buildings during the Modern Age could be of different types. The photograph shown here is of a shed in Cañada Molina. In it we can see how numerous pine logs, placed at a distance of approximately 50 centimetres, are supporting strips of reeds placed perpendicularly on top of them. Small esparto grass ropes attached to both elements join them together to prevent the reeds from moving due to the force of the wind. The entire roof is supported by masonry walls, both in the perimeter areas and in the actual division of the shed. In this respect, there is also a small room formed by stone walls with a door in its highest part supported by a wooden plank to prevent the collapse of the wall immediately behind.

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Oven kitchenette with chimney. Munera (Albacete)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

During the Modern Age it was common for dwellings to grow according to the needs and economic possibilities of the inhabitants of the house. On occasions, the basic structure of the home was too small to introduce divisions, so these were built in areas attached to it. The photograph that serves as an example is of an oven kitchenette, located in Lechina, near the municipality of Munera (Albacete). This kitchen has walls of stone and mud masonry with a gabled roof with Arabic tiles. A plain wooden door was chosen for the entrance. There are no other openings, such as windows, except for the oven chimney.

The post Oven kitchenette with chimney. Munera (Albacete) first appeared on History Lab.

Well with a rotating system in Barrax (Albacete)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

A well used during the Modern Age consisting of a curbstone with pillars and a wooden cylinder where a rope was placed that was wound up by the action of the crank, raising a bucket of water. This well, located in the municipality of Barrax (Albacete), is completed with two iron hoops, a crank for the rotation of the handle and a wooden lid.
Due to occasional droughts in the form of rainfall, the wells were of great importance in the common supply of villages and hamlets. The underground streams of water, clean and drinkable due to the purifying action of seepage into the ground, helped the villagers to maintain subsistence gardens in times of crisis.

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