Before 1717: The Casa de la Contratación in Seventeenth Century Cadiz

This paper analyzes the presence of the Casa de la Contratación (House of Trade) in Cadiz during the seventeenth century, before the publication of the royal decree of 1717 ordering its transfer from Seville to this city. In it, I highlight three facts: the permanent service of the Juez de Indias (Judge of Indies), the stages in Cadiz that ministers from Seville performed every year, and the institutional competition between the Judge and the ministers. I conclude that the Casa de la Contratación participated in the rise of Cadiz along the seventeenth century, which is why the decree of 1717 must be understood as a culmination of this process.