Convert Section (section) to Varas Castellanas Cuad (v.c.c.) instantly.
About these units
Section (section)
A section is a unit of area equal to one square mile, or 640 acres, derived from the PLSS township system. Each township contains 36 sections arranged in a 6-by-6 grid. Sections were historically granted to settlers, railroads, and states for development, education funding, and agricultural expansion. Because a section is large but manageable, it provided a logical unit for dividing land among homesteaders. Even today, the section persists as a foundation of rural property boundaries. Many farms, ranches, and municipal boundaries reference section lines, reflecting how 19th-century surveying still shapes 21st-century land use.
Varas Castellanas Cuad (v.c.c.)
A vara castellana cuadrada is the square form of the Castilian vara, an old Spanish unit of length. While the exact length of a vara historically ranged between regions, the commonly accepted Castilian value is 0.8359 meters. Thus, the square vara equals approximately 0.69875 square meters. Square varas were widely used in Spanish colonial land distribution across Latin America, including territories that later became the U.S. Southwest. Early ranchos, town grants, and agricultural holdings were often described using square varas. Because original surveys were conducted with ropes or rods rather than precise instruments, slight variations exist between historic definitions. Despite this, Spanish-era land patterns still rely on square vara conversions for legal clarification of old property descriptions. This unit provides essential insight into how colonial authorities organized land, particularly in regions with mixed indigenous and European land traditions.