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Articles · Atlantic Trade & the Golden Age

Cádiz in the Atlantic Trade Era: Articles on the Golden Age

The Americas fleet moves to Cádiz in 1717 and merchants build the tower houses.

These articles cover the era when Cádiz became Spain's gateway to the Americas, from Columbus's departures in 1493 and 1502 to the monopoly it held from 1717 to 1778. They also follow the raids, disasters and battles that came with it: Drake's raid, the 1596 sack, the 1755 tsunami and Trafalgar.

6 articles · 1492–1808

Atlantic Trade & the Golden Age in Cádiz, 1492–1808

Articles on Atlantic Trade & the Golden Age

Eighteenth-century cadiz watchtowers and Torre Tavira rising above whitewashed rooftops overlooking the Atlantic

Cádiz Watchtowers and Torre Tavira: Inside the Lookout Network

Lucía Barbera Quintero

Why do more than 100 Baroque watchtowers crown the rooftops of Cádiz? Explore Torre Tavira, the 1717 Indies trade monopoly, and where to see them today.

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Atlantic waves striking the western sea walls and La Caleta during the 1755 tsunami cadiz on 1 November 1755

How the 1755 Tsunami Hit Cádiz and Stopped in La Viña

Lucía Barbera Quintero

On 1 November 1755, five tsunami waves struck Cádiz at 11:10 am. See how La Caleta's walls broke, Azlor locked Puerta de Tierra, and La Viña survived.

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Combined Fleet warships off the fortified port during the battle of trafalgar cadiz campaign in October 1805

Why the Battle of Trafalgar Began and Ended in Cádiz

Lucía Barbera Quintero

In October 1805, 33 ships left Cádiz for the Battle of Trafalgar. Trace Admiral Gravina's warning, the 23 October counter-sortie, and the city's hospitals.

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Late-15th-century caravels and naos departing the Bay of Cádiz during the christopher columbus cadiz voyages

Why Christopher Columbus Sailed From Cádiz in 1493 and 1502

Lucía Barbera Quintero

Christopher Columbus sailed from Cádiz on his 17-ship Second Voyage in 1493 and his Fourth Voyage in 1502. Trace his fleets and medieval El Pópulo today.

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Elizabethan warships firing on Spanish galleons in the Bay of Cádiz during the francis drake cadiz raid 1587

Why Francis Drake's 1587 Cádiz Raid Preceded the 1596 Sack

Lucía Barbera Quintero

Francis Drake raided Cádiz Harbour in April 1587 to delay the Armada, and in June 1596 an English fleet under Essex returned to capture and burn the city.

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Merchant watchtowers rising above the rooftops of Cádiz at dusk with trading ships in the bay, a cadiz atlantic trade history scene

Cádiz and the Atlantic Trade: When One Port Held the Indies

Lucía Barbera Quintero

How Cádiz won Spain's monopoly on trade with America in 1717, grew rich on it and shaped two Gaditanos: the writer José Cadalso and the physician Mutis.

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See Atlantic Trade & the Golden Age on the timeline, with its people and monuments