Sevilla - History Lab

The parish as a central space of social life

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:18 +0000

Once the Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula for Catholicism was over, new churches and parishes were founded, some where there was already a mosque, others in the central areas of the new population centres that arose. This process of parochialisation had the greatest impact on the configuration of the new Christian society. In the Modern Age, rural communities had the parish as their geographical and social centre, a space that reflected, on the one hand, the political and religious order and, on the other hand, the central point from which to orientate themselves: being in the world. The drawings shown are examples that the author of the resource proposes as forms of representation of the local community, that is, of the very conception of space in the form of churches. Gójar and Calicasas (Granada) were depicted in the Ensenada Cadastre (1753-1754) in the same way that Tomás López, as early as 1786-1789, received a sketch for his Relaciones Geográficas: a church surrounded by houses which, like satellites, mark the form of the structure of the space of the municipality or place. All this reflects the prevailing profound mentality of modernity, which imprinted its everyday values on society.

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The plague of 1649 in Seville

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:12 +0000

During the Modern Age, numerous epidemics struck Spanish and European populations. The painting shown here, by an anonymous artist, depicts the plague in Seville in 1649. The work focuses on the Hospital de la Sangre and the Macarena Gate, a perspective of the area outside the city walls that shows the tragedy. The Junta de Salud (Board of Health) established this area as a place of transfer for care or a burial site, as was the Prado de San Sebastián or Triana. The painting also shows a procession on the left, while the central area is dominated by the transport of the sick. On the right is a greater concentration of corpses. Due to the high number of contagions and the high mortality rate, it is estimated that this outbreak of plague, the last and most virulent, claimed the lives of 60,000 people in Seville, almost 45% of the city’s population.

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Epidemics of plague in Spain: 16th and 17th centuries

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:12 +0000

The plague epidemic had an early manifestation in Spain. There is evidence of outbreaks of plague along the Mediterranean strip of the peninsula as early as the 6th-8th centuries. During the 14th century, the Black Death appeared in Europe, an epidemic which, interspersed with others such as influenza and typhus, reappeared in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1596 the plague reached the peninsula via Santander, a port area. It spread virulently through the territories of Extremadura and the two Castiles, especially the area around Madrid. The Cantabrian coast and Andalusia were also affected, as well as the area between Alicante and Valencia. It was in the latter city that another plague epidemic broke out years later, in 1647. From Valencia it spread to the northern part of the Crown of Aragon: Catalonia and the Aragonese territories themselves were affected. Andalusia was also hit again, with the city of Seville suffering significant human losses, where it is estimated that 45% of the population died. It was in Seville that another epidemic appeared in 1676. With no time to recover, cities such as Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Cadiz and Jaen were the protagonists of the horror. They were joined by Cartagena, in the Kingdom of Murcia. These were the last large-scale epidemics to occur in the peninsular territories of the Hispanic Monarchy. Once the epidemic, demographic and food crises of the 17th century were overcome, the 18th century ushered in a period of generalised growth.

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The lousy

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:03 +0000

Portrait by Murillo, who, in addition to his great religious compositions, was famous for his popular figures from the streets of Seville. This miserable face of the Golden Age, treated with dramatic light and shade, fascinated 19th-century French Impressionist painters. It is a source, in turn, of the poverty of the cities and the roguish youngsters so often portrayed in literature.

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Nicolás Omazur

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:59 +0000

Portrait of Murillo, best known for his religious compositions. Omazur was a Flemish gentleman who lived in Seville and was a friend of the artist. The work, in addition to being by a great master of the Golden Age, reflects the connections between Seville and Flanders, as well as the social circles of the artists.

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Indies Fleet

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

The image shows a work attributed to Alonso Sánchez Coello and dated around 1576, showing a view of the city of Seville from the Triana district. It shows the arrival of the Flota de Indias, a fleet of galleons that connected the city with the American viceroyalties, across the River Guadalquivir. The Fleet of the Indies, also known as the Spanish Treasure Fleet, was the backbone of the Race of the Indies, as it enabled Spain’s trade and navigation with its colonies, and allowed the Spanish trade monopoly with America. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the fleets of the Indies brought the wealth and products of the Spanish viceroyalties in America to the Crown of Castile, some of the most important being silver, gold, gems and spices, and cocoa, among others. The galleons left from the city of Veracruz, in the Gulf of Mexico, and arrived in Seville on the Guadalquivir and later in Cadiz, from 1717. From 1520 onwards, due to the increase in English and French piracy, the security of transport increased, and convoy systems consisting of galleons armed with cannons were established. Trade with the Spanish colonies was tightly controlled, and only the port of Seville had a monopoly on this until 1717, when the Casa de la Contratación passed to Cadiz. Spain enjoyed this monopoly for more than two centuries, even though powers such as England, France and the Netherlands tried to take it away. Thanks to overseas trade, Spain became the richest country in Europe, which allowed it to finance various wars to expand its power.

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Fleets of New Spain

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

The New Spain Fleets linked Spain and the Viceroyalty of Mexico during the Modern Age. The route of this fleet was established, usually departing along the Guadalquivir River from Seville-Sanlúcar de Barrameda and, from 1680, from the Bay of Cádiz. Once at sea, they would head for the Canary Islands, and from there they would set course for America until they reached the port of Veracruz. The image shows precisely the departure of the fleet from the port of Veracruz to Cadiz, on a return voyage to Spain. These fleets transported mainly agricultural and manufactured goods from Europe to America, and brought silver and colonial products such as grana cochineal, leather, tortoiseshell, ginger and cocoa, among others, to the old continent. Asian products such as silk, which had arrived in New Spain via the Manila Galleon, were also shipped. The New Spain Fleet would remain in force until the end of the 18th century, thus enjoying a long history.

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Contracting House

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

The Contracting House was the institution responsible, from its first ordinances in 1503, for managing all commercial matters related to the New World. It was initially set up in Seville, the main hub of trade with America, where it remained for more than 200 years. Its splendour was such that in the mid-16th century it displaced other European financial centres such as Antwerp. Its first headquarters were in the Royal Shipyards of Seville, but it soon moved to the premises of the Real Alcázar. It remained there until 1717, when it moved to Cadiz, where it remained until 1790, when the institution was abolished. During its first decades of existence in the 16th century, it enjoyed great influence, which would diminish with the passing of time and with the creation of bodies such as the Consulado de Cargadores (Consulate of Chargers). At the end of the 17th century, its role was secondary, a condition that was further reinforced throughout the 18th century, mainly after its transfer to Cadiz. Its most visible activity throughout the 16th and 17th centuries was undoubtedly the organisation of the convoys that marched in the Carrera de Indias: the fleets of New Spain and Tierra Firme. He was also in charge, among other duties, of preparing the merchant ships and galleons of war, registering the merchandise, examining the passengers who embarked and preparing the pilots. It also managed the remittances from the Indies corresponding to the King and private individuals, and functioned as the first instance in its judicial sphere.

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Royal reeds in honour of the royal wedding of the kings of the Two Sicilies

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

The image shows the poster for the Cañas Reales, which were organised at the Real Maestranza in Seville on 24 October 1738 to celebrate the marriage between the kings of the Two Sicilies: Charles of Bourbon, the future Charles III, and Maria Amalia Christina of Saxony. The bullfighting and bullfighting festivities were a mixture of military exercises and bullfighting on horseback, which served as an entertainment spectacle, but also to keep the nobles who formed part of the armies in shape. These festivities, as well as taking place in the Reales Maestranzas, were usually held in the main squares of the cities, the parade grounds of the castles or in palenques specially set up for the occasion, and were held all over the kingdom. On occasions, bullfights were quite bloody due to the number of people who were injured or lost their lives, which is why they were questioned and sometimes banned, as happened in the second half of the 16th century after the Pope banned bullfighting festivals. At the beginning of the 17th century bullfighting festivals reappeared again, and it was with Philip IV that they reached their splendour, being held to celebrate important events such as weddings and royal births, military victories or other great events. From the 19th century onwards, the celebration of these spectacles became less frequent.

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View of Seville from the west bank of the river

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

After the conquest of Granada (1492), Andalusia was fully incorporated into the Habsburg monarchy, and the population increased throughout the 16th century. This increase in population was particularly significant in the city of Seville, which in the 16th century had more than 100,000 inhabitants thanks to the economic development brought about by trade with America. In fact, the port of Seville exercised a monopoly on American trade by establishing the Casa de Contratación (1503) in the city. As a result, it became one of the most important European cities, as it was the gateway for goods from the New World that would later be traded, via various routes, throughout Europe. The increase in Seville’s mercantile and financial activity attracted many Castilians and foreigners who flocked to the city, some to settle there and enjoy its riches, others to embark for the New World in search of new opportunities.

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