General Archive of the Indies

The General Archive of the Indies, located in the heart of Seville, is one of the largest and most important historical archives in the world, preserving fundamental documents that tell the story of Spanish exploration and colonization in the Americas. Founded in 1785 by order of King Charles III, the archive was created to centralize in one place the vast amount of documents related to the Spanish colonies, which until then had been scattered among Simancas, Cadiz, and Seville itself. The choice of Seville was not random: the city had been the main starting point for expeditions to the New World and the center of trade with the Indies. The building that houses the archive is the Casa Lonja de Mercaderes, a magnificent example of Renaissance architecture built between 1584 and 1598 according to the design of Juan de Mijares and supervised by Juan de Herrera, the architect of the Escorial. The Casa Lonja, originally conceived as the headquarters of the merchants’ guild, was converted into an archive at the end of the 18th century to meet the growing need to properly preserve the documents of the colonies. The documentary heritage of the General Archive of the Indies is impressive. It is estimated to contain around 43,000 volumes and over 80 million pages of documents, spanning from the 16th to the 19th century. Among the treasures preserved are the letters of Christopher Columbus, the reports of conquistadors like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, and a vast series of maps and plans illustrating the territorial evolution of the Spanish colonies. These documents not only offer a detailed view of the administrative and commercial activities of the Spanish empire, but also represent a testimony of the cultural, social, and political interactions between the Spaniards and the indigenous populations of the Americas. An intriguing aspect of the archive is its function as a tool for legitimizing Spanish power. The preserved documents are not only accounts of explorations and conquests, but also official acts that sanctioned the rights of the Crown over the new lands and regulated the relationships between the colonists and local authorities. The centralization of this information in one place reflected the Spanish monarchy’s need to exercise more effective control over its colonies and to manage resources and people more systematically. In addition to its role in preservation and research, the archive plays a crucial role in disseminating historical knowledge. Through exhibitions, conferences, and publications, the archive makes its vast documentary heritage accessible to the general public, promoting greater awareness and understanding of the history of the Americas and the role of Spain in their exploration and colonization. The exhibitions organized by the archive, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions, are highly popular events that attract visitors from around the world. The historical and cultural importance of the General Archive of the Indies has also been recognized by UNESCO, which in 1987 included the archive in the World Heritage List, along with the Seville Cathedral and the Alcázar. This recognition highlights the universal value of the heritage preserved in the archive and its relevance to the collective memory of humanity. An interesting anecdote concerns the famous map of Juan de la Cosa, the first known map depicting the coasts of the New World. The map, made in 1500, is an extraordinary example of the geographical knowledge of the time and offers a fascinating view of the initial explorations of the Americas. Preserved in the General Archive of the Indies, this map has been studied and admired by generations of historians and geographers.