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Vara Castellana

The vara castellana is a traditional Spanish unit of length that was widely used in Spain and its former colonies. It is roughly equivalent to 0.8359 meters (about 32.9 inches).

The vara castellana was commonly used in land measurement, construction, and textiles. Its length could vary slightly by region and time, but the standardized vara castellana became an important reference for legal and commercial measurements.

Key points:

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  1 vara castellana ≈ 0.8359 meters (32.9 inches)

  
  
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  Used extensively in Spain and Spanish America

  
  
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  Common in land surveying, building, and textile measurement

  
  
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  Predecessor to modern metric units in Spanish-speaking countries

  
  

Though largely replaced by the metric system, the vara castellana remains relevant in historical documents and land records.

Span (Cloth)

A span is an old unit of length based on the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger of a fully extended hand. Traditionally, it measures about 9 inches or 22.86 centimeters.

In the context of cloth and textiles, the span was used as a convenient, informal measure to estimate small lengths of fabric before standardized rulers became widespread. It was helpful for tailors and traders to quickly gauge lengths during measuring and cutting.

While the span is largely obsolete as a formal unit today, it reflects historical measurement practices tied closely to the human body, similar to the cubit or hand.

Summary:

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  1 span ≈ 9 inches (22.86 cm)

  
  
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  Based on the hand’s spread

  
  
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  Used historically in cloth measurement and tailoring

  
  
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  Now mostly of historical and cultural interest