Archive of the Indies

The General Archive of the Indies of Seville was created in 1785 at the request of King Carlos III, in order to  centralize in one place all documentation referring to the administration of the Spanish colonies which, until then, had been dispersed in various archives: Simancas, Cádiz, and Seville. La Casa Lonja de Mercaderes in Seville, built during the reign of Felipe II between 1584 and 1598, was chosen for the archives, where it remains to this day.  The archive is home to about 43,000 files, with some 80 million pages and 8,000 maps and drawings that mainly derive from the metropolitan agencies in charge of administering the colonies. It was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, together with the Cathedral and the Reales Alcázares.

Inside is the central courtyard, built of stone with wide proportions, with arches fastened to the pillars with half columns.  Notable is the current main staircase, built by Lucas Cintora.