[Aztlan] Classic Maya Unit of Length

[Justin Kerr]

Dear Nick,
My grandmother used the word "vara" to mean any length of fabric. This was
the Russian/Yiddish generic word for both fabric and the measurement. It had
probably been carried to Russia from Turkey by the Sephardim. In fact she
measured the length from fingertip to nose. The first time we bought fabric
in Guatemala the merchant asked "quantos vara" or some such expression and
the measured out the amount by fingertip to nose. 
Justin

-----Original Message-----
From: aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org [mailto:aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org]
On Behalf Of Nicholas Hopkins
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 8:48 PM
To: aztlan at lists.famsi.org
Subject: Re: [Aztlan] Classic Maya Unit of Length

BTW, in Guate this measure is called "una cuerda", and it is the unit of
measure for work in the coastal and 
coffee fincas.  I know that an armspan (chest to fingertips) is a common
Maya measure (una brazada, can't 
remember the Maya name), which approximates a meter or so, but the Spanish
also utilized the "vara", about 
the same measure. I worked with a surveyor in Texas when I was in high
school, and discovered that the 
Republic of Texas (long may it wave!) standardized the vara at 39 inches
(check me on this).  We used a vara 
tape instead of a meter or yard tape to measure land that was included in
the original Spanish land grants.    

Nick Hopkins
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