1850

The country was essentially agricultural.

The cotton plantations supplied the great textile industry.

The labor of these cotton plantations was practically slave labor.

It is estimated there were then about three million slaves.

The economy was supported by farmers and ranchers, industry and trade increasingly developed.

the railroad and telegraph lines were expanding throughout the vast national territory and the
universities had more and more qualified personnel.

The structure of these tends to be of abundant unevenness. A few, until about 70 years ago, still
retained the ancient cobblestones they had to prevent the torrential rains from leaving a deep
erosive mark on them.

The oldest houses in the city are lined up next to each other forming more or less steep streets
due to the irregularity of the land because the city is located on the side of the mountain. The
shape of the original house vallera is rectangular, looking to the outside and with backyard. It used
to be ground floor and one floor. The ground floor was used for housing and shelter for animals
and farming tools; because its function was mainly agricultural

At the entrance to the house a rectangular folding table was placed, close to the wall, on it a cloth
rug and a botijo. The most used chairs were of light wood, with round bars and the "bova" seat,
some were short and the others normal.

In the kitchen there was a very small table that is where you ate, placing the paella or casserole in
the center, and using wooden spoons, usually no plates were used. In the bedroom there was a
rustic bed called "empostat" made with wooden benches called "peches", and on these a board,
on top of it a "pollerones" (mattress of dry corn leaves) and rarely a wool mattress.

The woman: Women used to go long to the feet. They wore a long shirt to the knee; on this a
white petticoat and on top of the refajos (kind of white skirt or light colors with a ruffle) and then
the gathered skirt or fitted. In the body a doublet or "jipó" with long sleeves called "pernil",
gathered at the top and then very tight on the arm. There was another type of sleeves in the
shape of a lantern, or with lorzas in the upper arm.

The man almost always wore gray trousers over a black blouse, of wool in winter and in summer of
striped thread (a thousand stripes). Under the blouse he wore a white or sometimes colored shirt.
On his head he used to wear a black "mocha de pita" handkerchief tied up on his forehead and
with his beak loose behind.

The clothes were not washed often as they are now, but when they were dirty they kept it until
they formed a good laundry.

They washed it with soap that was made at home and with the broth of the ash they put it in a
container called "cosi" and on the clothes a piece of very coarse linen cloth, called "sendrer", and
it was filled with ash.