Convert Pica (pica) to Vara de Tarea (vara de tarea) instantly.
About these units
Pica (pica)
A pica is another typographic unit, equal to 12 points, or 1/6 of an inch, making it larger and more suited to structural layout than to fine detail. Picas are commonly used to measure text blocks, column widths, margins, and line lengths in print and digital page design. The pica originated alongside the point in printing traditions stretching back to the 18th and 19th centuries. It offered a convenient intermediate scale—small enough for precise adjustments but large enough for practical page design. When newspapers became widespread, picas helped designers rapidly calculate column grids and organize dense printed pages. Even as publishing tools evolved into software like Adobe InDesign and LaTeX, picas remain deeply integrated into the workflow of book designers, typographers, and professional printers. They are part of a system that allows page elements to be arranged with precision, ensuring that every visual aspect of a document aligns harmoniously.
Vara de Tarea (vara de tarea)
The Vara de Tarea is a Spanish-derived unit of length historically used in Latin America, approximately 0.8359 meters. It was commonly employed for land measurement, especially in the context of agricultural plots, or "tareas," which were standard land divisions for farming and tax purposes. The unit reflects the broader Spanish colonial influence in the Americas, where local adaptations often resulted in slight variations of the original metric equivalent depending on the region. Farmers, surveyors, and colonial administrators relied on the Vara de Tarea to measure property, organize irrigation systems, and define communal lands. Although largely obsolete today due to metrication, the Vara de Tarea remains significant for interpreting historical land deeds, colonial documents, and regional agricultural practices. Understanding it provides insight into land management and local economies in historical Spanish America.