The Vara: San Xavier by the Numbers

La Vara de Burgos.

Medida Imperial por la Pragmática del Rey Felipe II, el 24 de julio de 1568

Adapted from Kenneth Pauley of the California Mission Studies Assn. with credit to the late Fr. Charles Polzer, S.J., and to the Southwest Mission Research Center: (Compiled by Patronato Secretary David Carter)

Vara: Established within Spain’s northern central power province of Burgos in the early 16th century, the vara was considered very early on as the Spanish yard and was used for many other integer multiples. The legal value of the vara set in early 1900 Texas was 33-1/3rd inches, but Spanish-speaking countries had many definitions for this most-used of Spanish measurements. The Burgos vara = 32.909 inches.

Codo geométrico: Elbow. The Roman cubitus, at about 18 inches, became Spain’s codo geométrico, at 16.45 inches. Theoretically, it is the distance between the elbow and the outstretched middle finger.

Codo real: Used primarily in shipbuilding (lit. “along the shoreline”), the codo real is 1/3rd larger than the codo geométrico and equals 8 palmos menores or about 1.83 feet.

Paso ordinario: A man’s length of step or pace; 1/2 of a paso geométrico. The Roman gradus or half- passus most closely resemble the ordinario, measuring approximately 2.3 feet.

Pulgada: The third most widely used linear measurement after the vara and legua. These three signified small, medium and long lengths through-out antiquity. A man’s thumb width (quite often larger during prosperous times) denoted the inch in many cultures. From the Latin uncia, literally a twelfth, we get the words “inch” and “ounce.” 1/3rd of a palmo menor; 0.914 of an inch.

Palmo menor: Derived from minor palmus (small palm) or 4 Roman digits, or approximately 3 inches. Used in Spanish colonies as subdivisions: 1/2 of the sesma and 1/3rd of the palmo mayor. About 2.74 inches.

Palmo mayor: Derived again from the Roman concept of a “large palm,” the Roman major palmus was 12 digits or three times larger than the small palm. Spain’s adoption is similar, with the palmo mayor three times larger than the menor. 8.227 inches and 1/4th of a vara.

Pie: Foot. 2/3rd the size of a codo and 1/3rd larger than the palmo mayor. From the Roman pes. 10.969 inches.

Estadal: About 11 feet.

Cordel: In Spanish colonial times there were three cordels with distinct integer equivalents of 10, 50 and 69 varas, each measuring in at 27.4, 137. 1, and 189 feet respectively. Used primarily in farm-ing and ranching.

Milla: The Spanish mile: 1/3rd of a legua. From the Roman mille passus, or 8 stadia, which contains 1000 paces. Spain’s milla similarly containes 1000 pasos geométrico or twice as many pasos ordinarios with many other integer multiples along the way. The milla is 0.866 of an English mile. The Roman milliarium was used extensively in antiquity, e.g., along highways where stones were equally spaced and served to form military positions; also in highway main-tenance.

Legua: The largest of Spanish measurements with many divisors and multiplying subdivisions. Exactly 3 millas, 5000 varas or 10,000 codos, and equal to 2.597 miles.

Punto: The smallest of Spanish measurements. Used in sewing, shoe, and boot making, and later printing. 1/12th of a línea.

Línea: A “twine’s thickness.” Used for stitch measuring in sewing and most commonly in the fishing industry. 12 puntos and 1/9th of a dedo.

Dedo: 48 dedos to the vara; 0.686 of an inch.