Issue date: 31 Oct, 2018
ARCHIVO GENERAL DE INDIAS. SEVILLE.
When the new continent was first discovered, the documents on the “Indies” were kept in Simancas, Cádiz and Seville. In 1785, King Charles III ordered the creation of the Archivo General de Indias in Seville.
José Gálvez, Secretary for the Indies, took charge of the project, which was executed by the historian and Academician Juan Bautista Muñoz, the chief geographer of the New World.
The Lonja of Seville, a spectacular building designed by Juan de Herrera, was built in the era of Philip II as a marketplace for the traders of Seville. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and an official Cultural Asset and Monument in 1983.
Documents gradually arrived at this Archive from the different institutions relating to the Indies: the Consejo de Indias, the House of Trade, the Consulates of Seville and Cádiz, and the State Secretariats, forming a complete picture of the history of Spanish rule in the New World.
This new Premium Sheet commemorating this illustrious institution reflects the colour and the crowds of visitors typical of a great city like Seville, as well as the treasures to be found in this historic building. The background shows the main façade of the building. 14 stamps with the interior gallery in the background, and in the foreground a fragment of the Treaty of Tordesillas, a document held in the Archive.
This new issue by Correos, as a set, evokes a city full of art, culture and monuments, and pays homage to what is now Spain’s largest archive of the history of the Spanish presence in the Americas and the Philippines. It should also be noted that the unique documents in the archive include the signatures of historic figures such as Christopher Columbus, Hernán Cortes and Francisco Pizarro.
A total of 43,000 bundles of documents, 80 million pages, and 8,000 maps and drawings are carefully conserved in the majestic Archivo General de Indias.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.