General Archive of the Indies

About General Archive of the Indies

The archive occupies a square Renaissance building on Avenida de la Constitución, between the cathedral and the Alcázar. Juan de Herrera, architect of El Escorial, designed it in the late 16th century as the Casa Lonja, the merchants' exchange. In 1785 Charles III made it the central archive of Spain's overseas empire, and UNESCO listed it in 1987 with its two neighbours.

It holds some 43,000 bundles of documents and about 8,000 maps and drawings. Visitors cross the arcaded courtyard and climb a marble staircase to upper galleries roofed with early 17th-century stone vaults and lined with mahogany shelving, where temporary exhibitions show original maps, plans and letters from the collections.

Entry is free and there is no need to book. It opens Tuesday to Saturday 09:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30) and on Sundays and holidays 10:00–14:00, and is closed on Mondays and several holidays. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. It suits older children with an interest in maps and exploration; visitors with reduced mobility should ask staff about reaching the upper floor.

Free and often overlooked, the archive is a cool, quiet break from the queues outside the cathedral and the Alcázar at midday. Weekday mornings are calmest. Check the website for the current exhibition before you go.

General Archive of the Indies in pictures

What you’ll find

• ExhibitionExhibition visit (09:30–17:00)Ticket
• Free entryFree visit (09:30–17:00)Free

Nearby places to visit

The Seville Cathedral and the Giralda (50 m) rises across the street, with the Museum of Seville Cathedral (100 m) inside it, and the Royal Alcázar of Seville (90 m) is entered from Plaza del Triunfo just behind the archive. The Painter Amalio Museum (240 m) is a few steps east, the Naval Museum Torre del Oro (390 m) stands by the river to the south-west, and the Real Maestranza Bullring, Seville (490 m) is a short walk west through the Arenal district, where traditional bars serve fried fish and tapas.