A number of

units of measurement A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a multi ...

were used in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

to measure length, mass, area, capacity, etc. The

Metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the definition of the Intern ...

was optional from 1857, and has been compulsory since 1896.

System before metric system

The Units of the system (from Spanish, Castillian) were legally defined during the transition period of the metric system.

Length

A number of units were used. One vara (lit. "pole", "yard") was equal to 0.838 m (32.99 inches) as it was legally defined also use inches and feet. Some other units and legal equivalents are given below: 1 linea (lit. "line") = vara 1 pulgada (lit. "thumbful", "inch") = vara 1 pie (lit. "foot") = vara 1 milla (lit. "mile") = 5000 pies 1 legua (lit. "league") = 5000 varas.

Mass

A number of units were used. One libra (lit. "pound") was equal to kg as it was legally defined. Some other units and legal equivalents are given below: 1 tomin = libra 1 adarme = libra 1 ochava ("eighth") = libra 1 onza ("ounce") = libra 1

arroba ''Arroba'' is a Portuguese and Spanish custom unit of weight, mass or volume. Its symbol is @. History The word ''arroba'' has its origin in Arabic ''ar-rubʿ'' (الربع) or "quarter," specifically the fourth part (of a quintal), which de ...

= 25 libras 1

quintal The quintal or centner is a historical unit of mass in many countries which is usually defined as 100 base units, such as pounds or kilograms. It is a traditional unit of weight in France, Portugal, and Spain and their former colonies. It is com ...

("hundredweight") = 100 libras 1 terco = 160 libras

Area

A number of units were used. One fanega was equal to m² as it was legally defined. Some other units and legal equivalents are given below: 1 caballeria = 12 fanegas 1 labor = 18 fanegas 1 sitio = 492.28 fanegas.

Capacity

Two systems, dry and liquid, were used.

Dry

Several units were used. One cuartillo (lit. "quart") was equal to 1.8918 L as it was legally defined. Some other units and legal equivalents are given below: 1 almud ("gallon") = 4 cuartillos 1

fanega The fanega or Spanish bushel was an old measure of dry capacity in Spanish-speaking countries. It was generally used in an agricultural context to measure quantities of grain. The measure varied greatly, but in Castile, it was equivalent to ...

= 48 cuartillos 1 carga = 96 cuartillos.

Liquid

Several units were used. Some units and legal equivalents are given below: 1 cuartillo (for wine) = L 1 cuartillo (for oil) = L 1 jarra = 18 cuartillos. One frasco was equal to quarts, and one baril was equal to 20 gallons, with local variations.

References

{{Systems of measurement Mexican culture