The Seamen of the Indies Trade and the University of Seafarers of Seville

Abstract

This article asks whether seamen serving in the Carrera de Indias (the system that regulated trade between Spain and its American territories) were able to unite to defend their interests. They were, and a good example of this is the Universidad de Mareantes, which can best be described as a seafarers’ guild This corporation, officially sanctioned by the crown, brought together the interests of shipowners, masters and pilots from the sixteenth to the end of the eighteenth century. The Universidad secured a position of power and became the chief voice for the aspirations of seafaring communities, operating as a link between the establishment and the maritime people. Among its main achievements were improvements in safety and insurance, as well as the fitting-out and arming of the ships and the establishment of schedules for the departure and arrival of the American fleets. Some of its other concerns focused on navigation training and the defense of its members’ interests.