Alqueire

It was originally used to measure the amount of dry goods (such as grain) a pack animal could carry, in the form of satchels or baskets.

In 1145, the municipal ordinances of Coimbra stipulated that the alqueire (of cereal) should have a weight of 6.5 arráteis, and thus a capacity for around 3.4 liters.

Later, probably following the 1755 earthquake, the capacity of the alqueire of Lisbon was adjusted to 13.9 liters, which would allow easier conversion to the Spanish system.

The main standards used in different regions of Portugal in the nineteenth century were as follows: At the local level, a multitude of variants of these major patterns were in actual use.

Since the Middle Ages, the term alqueire also designated units of measure of area of land.

The alqueire was a measure of capacity primarily used for grains
With time, alqueire also began to refer to the area of land that could be sown with an alqueire of grain