General Archive of the Indies

General Archive of the Indies

The General Archive of the Indies is located in the ancient Merchant Exchange building in the southern Spanish city of Seville. It serves as a repository of highly valuable archival documents that illustrate the long history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and the Philippines.

The building that houses the General Archive of the Indies was designed by Juan de Herrera and is an example of Spanish Italianate Renaissance architecture. In 1987, the building, along with Seville Cathedral and Alcázar, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the "Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville." Today, the archive features bookshelves stretching 9 kilometers in length and houses around 43,000 volumes and approximately 80 billion pages of colonial government records established by the authorities of the time. Its collections include a rich array of materials from the age of the conquistadors to the late 19th century—ranging from Miguel de Cervantes’ job application, the papal bull by Alexander VI dividing the world between Spain and Portugal, Columbus’ journal, to maps and plans of American colonial cities—which are incredibly diverse and awe-inspiring.

General Archive of the Indies

Reason to visit: Spain’s most renowned archive

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Spain[Spain]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Andalusia Autonomous Community [Andalusia Autonomous Community]

City where the attraction is located: Seville [Seville]