Casares de las Mujeres
A project to recover the role of women in Casares throughout history
Mujeres de Casares: Laundress
A hardtask
Hand washing clothes is one of the hardest jobs that women performed. In Casares it was carried out in streams, at the Arquita fountain, in hydraulic mills, or in the basins that give the Espileta street its name.
On their knees, scrubbing against stones or inclined wooden surfaces, “Lagarto” soap and bleach (if the fabric allowed it) were indispensable. Also, «Brasso» blue to achieve a blue tone on white fabrics. The washed clothes were hung on ropes or left to dry in the sun, spread out on the grass or bushes, providing interesting scenes.
Women washed their family’s clothes and those of the houses where they provided services. There were also some laundresses in Casares, such as María del Río Carrasco, who worked washing clothes for the doctor.
María Álvarez lavando la ropa en la Garganta de la Acedía, Casares (Archivo familiar)
Casares, años 60 (© Archivo de BenitoTrujillano Mena)
María del Río Carrasco, lavandera del médico de Casares
Casares de las mujeres
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Equality Delegation
(2023)
© Casares City Council
Design: Acaire S.Coop.And.
Centro de Iniciativas Turísticas de Casares