Aspectos navales en el traslado de la Casa de Contratación

Abstract

The House of Trade relocation to Cadiz impacted heavily on the Sevilian economy after a seventeenth century full of natural disasters and epidemics which reduced the population drastically. The huge politic power of Seville in the Court was not enough to overcome, among other factors, the inconvenience of the navigation through the river and the barrier of Sanlucar. In the analysis of reasons which motivate the relocation we are giving in this work a special consideration to the naval aspects which were taken into account in the royal decision. At the same time we will try to measure the weight of these aspects comparing to other important factors such as the difference in fiscal taxes between both ports, the possibilities of fraud in the Cadiz bay and the economic power of merchants in this city. Finally, we will assess the role performed by main naval authorities who intervened in the final decision such as: admirals Pes, Gaztaneta, Lopez Pintado and also Jose Patino.