Sixteenth-century property inventories studied by Lyon show that the contrast between social classes around 1580 appeared in costly furnishings and apparel rather than houses. It made sense, in a city subject to piracy and natural disasters, to keep one’s wealth portable, in the form of personal, not real, property. The goods of an hidalgo included silver plate, carpets, tapestries and leather wall hangings, linens and bedding, rich clothing, and writing desks. The value of such belongings could be considerable. Governor Trevino Guillamas once borrowed 1,000 pesos against the silver service of his house. During the 17th century, houses gradually became a more important form of property. Construction costs were modest. Tools and nails, at five to the real (1/8 of a peso), were often the single largest expenditure. [Note 24: Thomas Menendez Marquez 7/1/1697; Fr. Francisco Alonso de Jesus to Gov. Rojas y Borja, seen by the governor 3/2/1630.] At mid-century it cost about 160 pesos to build a plain wattle-and-daub hut; a dwelling of rough planks and palmetto thatch rented for 3 pesos a month. Indian quarrymen, loggers, and carpenters were paid in set amounts of trade goods originally worth one real per day. When the price of these items went up toward the end of the 17th century, the cost of labor rose proportionately but was never high. [Note 25: Friars in chapter 9/10/1657; Ex-Gov. Hita Salazar 12/7/1680; fiscal of the Council 8/30/1686, comments on Francisco de la Rocha and Juan de Pueyo 4/1/1684.] Regidores set the prices on lots and it is not certain whether these prices rose, fell, or remained stable. Shipmaster and Deputy Governor Claudio de Florencia’s empty lot sold for 100 pesos after he and his wife were murdered in the Apalache rebellion. Captain Antonio de Arguelles was quoted a price of 40 pesos on what may have been a smaller lot sometime before 1680, when the lot on which the treasurer’s official residence stood was subdivided. (Bushnell KC)