General Archive of Simancas

The General Archive of Simancas, started by Carlos V and completed by his son Felipe II, houses all the documentation produced by the government bodies of the Spanish monarchy from the time of the Catholic Monarchs (1475) until the birth of the Liberal Régime (1834). It represents, therefore, the most homogeneous and complete document collection of our historical memory of the 16th to 18th centuries. This major set of documents has been housed since the 16th century in a purpose-built archive building constructed by Juan de Herrera. Since that time, the generations of archivists have maintained it in order to prevent its loss or deterioration; they study and describe it so as to understand its content, and publicise it in order to make it better known and appreciated by the public. With such support any member of the public may easily gain access to study of one of the most outstanding eras of our historical past. The brochure, which may be downloaded on this site, provides further information on the history and collections of the General Archive of Simancas. If it is folded, according to the instructions that may be viewed in the video, the page takes on the same form as a letter of the Modern Age.