“Juntos en una casa debajo del poderío paternal”: families from San Clodio do Ribeiro de Avia at the end of 16th century

Abstract

The features of the Galician family in the 18^th century are well known, to a large extent, thanks to the Ensenada Cadastre. However, the few comparable sources about the previous period hampers an accurate description of Galician homes throughout most of the Modern Age. This circumstance makes it possible to measure the value of a document as San Clodio census from 1580, shows a detailed picture of the domestic universe of the homonymous district in Ourense, located in Ribeiro de Avia, a very booming vine growing area during the 16^th century. With the aid of some other contemporary sources, this article outlines a portrayal of the economic and demographic reality of this region, which helps us to frame a family pattern with welldefined features and remarkable differences as compared with that of the mid 18^th century.