League
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The league (from Latin loca ) is an ancient unit of length that expresses the distance that a person can walk on foot in one hour; that is to say, it is a measure (from the Latin, iter: way, period of celebration). Since it normally covers a range of distances on foot, the league remains within that range, but depending on the type of terrain predominant in each region or according to state convenience, the word legua normally covers distances ranging from from 4 to 7 km.
History
This measure varied according to the use that was given to it. For example: the French league measured 4.44 km (4440 m), the post league measured 4 km (4000 m) and the marine league 5.555 km (5555 m) (equivalent to 1/20 of a degree of terrestrial meridian).
The league was used in ancient Rome, being equivalent to three Roman miles; that is, about 4,435 km (4435 m). The origin of the mile is in the Persian parasanga, which reached the Romans through the Greeks.
Castilian language
The (old) legal Castilian league was a measure of length used to establish the dimensions of properties and which became known as legal because it was used in the courts. It was originally set at 5,000 Castilian varas of Burgos, that is, about 2.6 Roman miles, 15,000 Castilian feet or 4,190 meters. It continued to be widely used long after Philip II abolished it in 1568, ordering it to be replaced by the common or vulgar league.
The common league was an itinerary unit that was used in the chronicles of land explorations and trips. It was a very imprecise measure, as it varied with the circumstances surrounding the traveler, such as whether he was on foot, on horseback, on a mule, or in a carriage; whether you were in a group or with a load, as well as the type of terrain, obstacles and weather. It was established by usage in the XVI century at 20,000 Castilian feet; that is, 5,572.7 meters or 6,666.66 Castilian varas. However, the common league varied considerably according to the different Spanish kingdoms, and even according to different provinces (for example, 7,000 varas).
In an attempt to unify the league in 1769, a royal order established to mark the roads with the "leguarios", which indicated the distances to Madrid using a league of 8000 varas. The zero point was established in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, where it is still located.
The marine or geographical league used by cosmographers and pilots of the 16th and 17th centuries was called 17.5 to the degree, that is, 17.5 leagues per degree of longitude of the terrestrial meridian (which measures 111.1 km), that is, 6.35 km. It corresponded to 7,604 varas or 22,812 feet. King Felipe V in a pragmatic of 1718 ordered that it be used in the scales of the maps. In the age of discovery, the leagues of 18 to the degree and 25 to the degree were also used, which were equivalent to 1/18 and 1/25 of the degree of the terrestrial meridian. To facilitate calculations and to unify with the uses of France, England and other countries, at the end of the 17th century, the league called 20 to the degree (1/20 of a degree of degree) began to be used by Spanish sailors. terrestrial meridian, that is, 3 nautical miles, or 6666.66 varas) replacing the one of 17.5 to the degree. In the 18th century, the Spanish cartographer Tomás López used the equivalence league of 20 to the degree = 6626 varas, established by Admiral Antonio de Gaztañeta.
Carlos IV, by royal order of January 26, 1801, established that the dimension of the league was 20,000 feet, returning to the common league and giving it a legal character (new legal league). The marine league of 20 to the degree was thus unified with the terrestrial league and was used in Spain until the adoption of the decimal metric system.
In order for the league to correspond soon to what has been called throughout Spain and calls league (which is the road that regularly walks in an hour) will be said league of twenty thousand feetthe one that will be used in all cases concerned, whether Real Roads, the Tribunals and outside them.
Imperial League
The imperial league is the largest unit in the Anglo-Saxon System of Units. This is the only league that has an exact definition and equivalence, since it is fully equivalent to 4.828032 kilometers (4828.032 m).
Equivalences
- 3 miles
- 24 furlongs
- 240 chains
- 960 rods
- 5280 yards
- 15 840 feet
Leagues in use
Still in unofficial use in some areas of Latin America. The exact distance varies, however, in different countries.
Argentina
Before the adoption of the metric system, the league of 40 blocks, equivalent to 6,000 varas, was commonly used —although with variations depending on the province. In 1857 the province of Buenos Aires adopted the conversion of a vara equal to 0.866 meters, so that the league was equivalent to 5196 meters. In 1878 the national State adopted the league of 5000 meters.
Chile
In Santiago, the Chilean capital, the La Legua neighborhood (located in the San Joaquín commune) gets its name from being approximately 6 km (6,000 m) from the city's Plaza de Armas, a distance equivalent to measure of a league.
In 1879, a topographic map of the central highlands of Bolivia was published in the Boletín de la Guerra del Pacífico, in which the conversion rule was given with one Castilian league for 5,569 meters or 6,662 varas.
Columbia
In Colombia, until the middle of the XIX century, a version of the league called legua granadina, which equaled 5 km (5000 m).
Guatemala
In Guatemala it is equal to 5,572 km (5,572 m). However, in some rural municipalities, people still refer to the distance of approximately 4 kilometers as a league.
El Salvador
In El Salvador, the decimal metric system became mandatory by law on January 1, 1886, but the public continued to use the old Spanish measurements with some variations. As late as 1892, the Spanish marine or geographical league was used; At the same time it was reported that one league was commonly given the equivalent of 6,600 varas (5,517.6 m) and in the country the league of 5,000 varas (4,180 m) was widely used. In the system used in the country, three miles made up a league. It is noteworthy that by decree of February 14, 1865, the value of the rod was set at 0.836 meters, but in practice it was computed at a rate of 6 rods by 5 meters, that is, one rod is equivalent to 0.834 meters.
Mexico
In some parts of rural Mexico, the league is still used in the original sense of distance that can be covered on foot in one hour. For this reason, a league on a good road is a greater distance than a league on a rocky road, although traditionally it is established at 4.19 km (4,190 m).
An interesting case occurs in the Yucatán Peninsula, where in the Mayan culture the rope or k'an was used to designate a measure of length of little more than 20 meters which was used as a standard to measure the land of the milpas. 20 k'anes equaled one nak and it is likely that 20 "nakes" equaled one lub ("resting place"). In Spanish colonial times, "lub" was translated as "league" which would be equivalent to 4 kilometers, that is, half a real "lub", although it is likely that originally the Mayans used their measure freely when considering the stretch walked in some time before taking a break, as many today consider "his league".
Paraguayan
A league is equal to 5 km (5000 m).
Uruguay
In some rural areas of Uruguay, one league is equivalent to 40 blocks, that is, 5.1 km (5196 m).
Current use
The word league is frequently used, either in a figurative sense (“such a place is a couple of leagues away” with the meaning of: “it is at a distance neither close nor far away, which can be reached in the day, although with fatigue"), or in the "old" sense. The expression «it can be seen from leagues away», «it can be seen from leagues away» or «a league away» is used to indicate that something is too obvious at short or long distance.