Pearls Paid to Admiral Diego Columbus

The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY DSI) has the most extensive collection of manuscripts related to colonial La Española from the 16th and 17th centuries in the US. Among these manuscripts are the ledgers from the Caja Real de Santo Domingo (Treasury Office). The Castilian Crown established this treasury in 1504 to collect the taxes owed to the king. This page, taken from treasurer Miguel de Pasamonte’s books, shows how the Admiral of the Atlantic Ocean (Almirante de la Mar Oceano), Diego Columbus, Christopher Columbus’s son, was paid ten percent of the pearls fished in Cubagua (Venezuela). The fiscal transfer issued from the agreement Diego made with Charles I at Coruña (Spain) in 1520. The amount paid to the Admiral for this operation alone is significant: 4.13 marks, equivalent to 2.1 lb.

This historical story emerged from research conducted as part of CUNY DSI’s AI in the Archives project, led by Dr. Sergio Serrano and Dr. Abraham Liddell.

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