|
Port of America In 1503, when the Contracting House
was established in Seville, a period of great splendour began for the city and
continued until the following century. However, the location of this corporation
was not by chance since, during the XIII century, the Port of Seville had become
the centre and base for the newly-formed Castilian navy.
Seville also
had two clear advantages when it came to formalising the trade monopoly. The first
was its magnificent geographical inland position as the terminal of a waterway
which made any military attempts impossible. Trade was somewhat wary of Cadiz
even though it was apparently better situated to capture colonial traffic. Yet
events like the English assaults in 1587 and 1596 showed that such doubts were
well-founded.
The second advantage was that it was in the middle of a
rich and productive agricultural area. Very soon, oil and wine from Aljarafe filled
the holds of ships bound for America. Almost all discovery expeditions during
the first half of the century sailed from the docks of Seville: Diego de Lepe,
Alonso de Ojeda, Diego de Nicuesa, Pedrarias Dávila, etc.
The naval
organisation which prevailed during the "Race for the Indies" throughout the remainder
of the XVI century and most of the XVII century was established in 1564. Every
year, Seville became the starting point and destination of fleets that joined
the metropolis with New Spain and Tierra Firme. But the cause of its opulence,
which was the stretch of the River Guadalquivir between Sanlucar and Seville,
would also be, in the long run, the cause of its decline. The sand banks of the
former Betis were the origin of all sorts of misfortunes which brought constant
protests, already in the XVI century, from those involved in the "Race to the
Indies".
During the period of splendour, as Professor Domínguez Ortiz
points out, the Arenal (sandy area) and the Dock "not only formed part of the
city but was in fact one of its most active and picturesque elements. The Arenal
was the land between the city walls and the river and between the Triana Gate
and the Gold Tower. All port activities were carried out in this area and continued
on the opposite bank of the river, on the banks of Triana right up to the Inquisition
Castle.
Neighbourhoods of craftsmen working in this area gradually began
to spring up in the vicinity including a brothel called "Resolana" which was very
famous in the classical Seville together with the Compas and San Bernardo brothels.
In its golden era, riverside carpenters, shipwrights, riggers, coopers, tar vats,
mule drivers, lead workers, divers etc…never stopped working on the Arenal and
the Dock. Bronze pipes that had just been dismantled or were ready to be placed
in the gun ports rested in a line on the sand next to the galleons
The
many Triana bakeries filled the air with the delicious smell of the constant baking
of sponge cakes, a basic food for thousands of men during the long transatlantic
crossing. The sparkling scene of white sails, red and white pennants, the colours
of the House of Austria and banners of the Columns of Hercules was rounded off
by the swarming of sailors and merchants from all over the planet, soldiers, friars,
rogues, etc.
Apart from the normal jobs of loading, unloading and storing
cargoes, another basic job in the Port of Seville involved cleaning and taking
general care of the vessels although, from 1630 onwards, this activity dwindled
because war escort ships were docked in Cadiz so there was only the merchant fleet
to be tended. Craftsmen worked in groups which were generally linked by family
ties. From 1659 onwards there was an exodus of these workers towards the Bay of
Cadiz.
Modest shipyards were run on the river banks where small vessels
of no more than 200 tons were built although in time this industry also began
to disappear. Most of the large vessels were built along the Cantabrian coastline
and in American shipyards. Between 1612 and 1700, four galleons made in Andalusia
were used for silver and two of these were launched in Seville before 1625.
In 1624 Felipe IV visited Seville. The last member of the House of Austria
to go along the banks of the Guadalquivir entered the Gold Tower and made a trip
along the river in a long boat which was beautifully decorated in silk and gold.
As the young Royal went aboard, all the vessels anchored along the docks made
a gun salute. This was a symbolic moment of glory for a Port whose splendour was
soon to come to an end.
| |
|
<%
categoria = request.form("categoria")
if categoria = "ac" then
response.write "
