Archivo General de Indias

"The main archive on Spain's American empire, with 80 million pages of documents dating from 1492 through to the end of the empire in the 19th century." Full review

"Casa Lonja, a sober Renaissance building by Juan de Herrera, the architect of the Escorial, has housed the priceless collections of the General Archive of the Indies since 1785." Full review

"Ancient artifacts, art exhibitions, and 5.5 miles of archives including letters sent by Christopher Columbus to the King and Queen during his travels are all accessible. " Full review

"A mother lode of documents, enough of which are shown in rotating exhibitions to make for a fascinating visit." Full review

"The Archivo de Indias is said to contain some four million antique documents, including letters exchanged between patron Queen Isabella and explorer Columbus " Full review