Seville Attractions

Venue: Archive of The Indies     When: Daily; Weekdays only
Established originally as a House of Trade (Lonja) in 1503 to regulate and monitor the commerce from Spain's successful exploits in the Americas, it did not take long before this exquisite building was modified to archive documents on Spain's governance and administration of the overseas territories.

Originally, however, the building became the chief operations centre for the running of Spain's empire in the New World. Inside was the chief mint for Spain's newly acquired riches. It was where its African slave trade was administered, its shipping was scheduled and the revenues and taxes of the Spanish crown were pored over. Under Charles II's orders a great staircase was built, with wood imported from Cuba for the shelves and enough space made to contain over 35,000 documents.

Now visitors can explore this architectural masterpiece and bear witness to the reams of documents that chart the workings and logistics of the Spanish Empire - a treat that is comparable with a trip to London's British Museum.