Land measurements used in early Texas were based on the Spanish system of the period. They were keyed to two primary units of distance: a vara and a league. Conversions to the more familiar measures that we know today are shown below.
1 Vara = approximately 33-1/3 inches = 0.93 yards
1 League = 5000 varas =
approximately 2.6 miles
1 Labor (pronounced lah-bor') = 1,000,000 square varas = 177.1 acres
1
League = 1 square linear league = 25 labors = 4428 acres = 6.8 square miles
1
Square Mile = 640 acres = approximately 3.6 labors = 0.145 leagues
Occasionally, in documents recorded later in the Republic, early Statehood,
and beyond, the researcher may run across the more modern term "section" to
apply to land area. A section is 15 square miles, or a little more that two
leagues.