Севильядағы Испан империясының мұрағаты

Historical documentary archive in Seville, Spain

The Archivo General de Indias (aɾˈtʃiβo xeneˈɾal de ˈindjas; standard abbreviation AGI; ), often simply called the Archive of the Indies was created by Carlos III and inaugurated in 1785. It is housed in the former merchant guild building in Seville, Spain, built in the late 16th century. It became the repository of archival materials documenting the history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and Asia. The building was designed by Juan de Herrera; it is an Italianate example of Spanish Renaissance architecture. This structure and its contents were registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, together with the adjoining Seville Cathedral and the Alcázar of Seville.

The origin of the structure dates to 1572 when Philip II commissioned the building design from Juan de Herrera, the architect of the Escorial to house the Consulado de mercaderes of Seville. Until then, the merchants of Seville had been in the habit of retreating to the cool recesses of the cathedral to transact business. The building, known as the Lonja, was begun in 1584 by Juan de Mijares, using Herrera's plans. The northern rooms of the ground floor were completed in 1598, as recorded by a dedicatory inscription over the central door of the northern façade, and the rest of the ground floor was completed the following year. Work then began on the next level but construction was paused in 1601 due to funding problems. Work resumed in 1609 but the building was not finished until 1646. Responsibility for the project was delegated to José de Gálvez, Secretary for the Indies, who delegated historian Juan Bautista Muñoz for the plan's execution. Two basic motivations underlay the project. One was practical, the lack of space in the Archivo General de Simancas, the central repository of the Spanish Crown, There was also the expectation, in the spirit of the Enlightenment, that Spanish historians would take up the history of Spain's overseas empire. It was decided that, for the time being, documents evolved after 1760 would remain with their primary institutions. The first cartloads of the documents arrived in October 1785. Some restructuring of the Casa Lonja to accommodate the materials was required, and a grand marble staircase was added in 1787 after the designs of Lucas Cintara.