Portuguese pilots at the Casa de la Contratación and the Examenes de Pilotos

Abstract

This article examines the role of Portuguese pilots at the Casa de la Contratación, or House of Trade, in Seville in the sixteenth century. While much work has been done on seafaring and pilotage in Spain in this period, relatively little has been said about the role of the Portuguese in the development of nautical science and a maritime tradition in the Spanish Indies route. The article further assesses the development of a pilot-training and licensing system in Seville, and examines the contributions and experiences of Portuguese seamen in this context. The Examenes de Pilotos, or Pilots’ Examinations, stored in the Archive of the Indies in Seville, contain several examples of Portuguese applicants in the mid-to-late sixteenth century, and these form the main body of primary material examined in the article.