vara

   a traditional unit of distance in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries. The length of the vara varied (no pun intended), but in Spanish Latin America it was generally about 33 inches or a little longer. In Texas, where it was often used in land measurement, the vara was defined to equal exactly 33 1/3 inches, which is equivalent to 84.667 centimeters. In California, the vara was considered equal to 33 inches (83.82 centimeters) and in Mexico the former standard was 32.993 inches (83.802 centimeters). In southern South America the vara was usually about 34 inches (86.4 centimeters). The Spanish vara is shorter; it equals 32.908 inches or 83.587 centimeters. The Portuguese vara, on the other hand, is much longer; it equals 5 palmos or about 110 centimeters (43.3 inches). The word vara means a stick or pole.