The scene of the washerwomen (Act II, Part I) is inspired by the women Lorca used to meet on his youthful walks at the La Carrura fountain, now disappeared, on the banks of the river Cubillas, between Pinos Puente and Valderrubio.
In the play, the washerwomen sing songs in a carefree tone alluding to infecundity: “Yo planté un tomillo [I planted thyme], yo lo vi crecer./ [I saw it grow], / El que quiera honra [He who wants honor] / que se porte bien (Ríen) [let him behave well (they laugh)]”. Or they make cruel allusions: “Those macho women are like that: when they could be making lace or apple jams they like to climb on the roof and walk barefoot along those rivers”.