At this wonderful setting an interesting exhibition was put on. On its route I moved, without any difficulty to the Spanish history in the colonies.
Stunning original writings, maps and trade routes ... and of course, the wonderful stories of pirates, buccaneers...
Even at the entrance, it was amazing to look at this statue, which seemed to stare directly at the poster for this exhibition.
Seville developed as a city following the discovery of America in 1492. It is when the city port became the first axis of communication with the new world. Because of this, the Guadalquivir is navigable almost until Cordoba and is protected from attack by sea (It is not open sea).
Seville became the capital of trade with the Americas. Every ship that came to the peninsula was subject to mandatory docking in Seville to record what it brought. Well, all these documents are found in the Archive of the Indies. It was created in 1785 by desire of King Charles III, in order to centralize in one place all documentation concerning the Spanish colonies that had until then been dispersed in various archives.
In the historical centre of Seville, opposite the cathedral and with the Plaza del Triunfo (Triumph Square) at its back, one finds this building that keeps documents relative to Spanish colonies and overseas territories since the eighteenth century. It is the largest archive on these colonies that exists.
The collection is digitized thanks to resources donated by IBM and can be accessed and reproduced in the building itself on demand.
Therein one can find manuscripts by Columbus, Pizarro, Cortes, et cetera. It has been a world heritage site since 1987. From their website it is possible to take virtual tours and visit virtual exhibitions too.
