What is the Simón Ruiz Archive?

We invite you to discover the archive of an important Spanish merchant from the 16th century.

Portrait of Simon Ruiz (Circa1595) by Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, workshopMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

Who was Simón Ruiz?

Simón Ruiz Envito was a Spanish businessman from the second half of the 16th century, dedicated first to merchandise trade and then to international finance, who maintained relationships with the great European commercial houses of his time.

The last years of his life were dedicated to building his great work of patronage: the General Hospital of the Immaculate Conception and San Diego de Alcalá, splendidly endowed in his will and intended for the care of all kinds of patients.

Quittance and letter of payment issued by Francisco de Sagastizábal (1580-01-04) by Francisco de SagastizábalMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

The Archive brings together family documentation, that of the business house and that of the General Hospital, forming a unique set of its kind. Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, it is preserved in the Museum of Fairs Foundation.

Trade Fair Notebook (1584-1586) by Simón Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

The Archive in detail

We invite you to discover some of the most interesting documents preserved in this extraordinary archive.

Bill of Exchange by Alonso de Betolaza (1559-12-20) by Alonso de BetolazaMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

Bill of exchange from Alonso de Betolaza to Simón Ruiz, 1559

In this bill of exchange, the drawee and the beneficiary are the same person, so the operation is reduced to a mere transfer from one account to another, looking more like a loan than an ordinary change.

General ledger of Simón Ruiz (156-1559) by Simón Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

Ledger of Simón Ruiz, 1556-1559

Accounting is carried out in double entry: the 'must' (left) and the 'must have' (right) are entered in opposing entries. In the note we see the account of Pedro de Tamayo -a resident of Seville- with interests in the Antillean sugar business, trading with Simón Ruiz.

News about the victory in Lepanto (1571) by Cristóbal de Briceño de ValderrábanoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

News of the victory at Lepanto, October 1571

The commander of the order of San Juan, Cristóbal Briceño de Valderrábano, sends Simón Ruiz a letter that includes the news of the victory at Lepanto with the list of ships sunk, casualties, prisoners taken, galleys captured and redeemed Christian captives.

News on the Turkish navy (1576-08-25) by Cristóbal Briceño de ValderrábanoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

The Turkish army is repulsed in Calabria, August 25, 1576

Simón Ruiz is informed of the unsuccessful attack carried out by Turkish ships on Calabria under the command of the corsair Uluch Ali, a renegade Calabrian convert to Islam, whom Cervantes calls Uchalí in Don Quixote through the mouth of the captive.

Letters from Simón Ruiz about Cervantes (1589-02-13) by Simón Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

Letters from Simón Ruiz quoting Cervantes

In several letters and entries in Simón Ruiz's account books, Miguel de Cervantes appears acting as commissioner of supplies and requisitioning oil for the Invincible Armada.

A same accounting (1579) by Simón Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

The same entry in accounting books, 1579

The main books in the accounting entry are: draft, journal (or 'manual') and ledger (or 'caxa'). In this example we see the same entry recorded in the three books: the purchase of a barrel of anise at the May fair in Medina del Campo to be sold in Lisbon.

Quittance and letter of payment issued by Francisco de Sagastizábal (1580-01-04) by Francisco de SagastizábalMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

Letter of payment for 50,000 scudi received in Lyon, 1580

By virtue of a asiento or credit with the Royal Treasury for 100,000 escudos, Simón Ruiz issues a letter to the Bonvisi for the value of 50,000 escudos to be paid to Francisco de Sagastizábal and to send that amount to the Prince of Parma Alexander Farnese.

Bill of exchange drawn by Diego and Pedro de la Peña (1581-01-02) by Diego y Pedro de la PeñaMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

Bill of exchange from Antwerp to Simón Ruiz, January 1582

The letter served to offset the cost of ransoming the sugar seized by the English. For the most part, the Brazilian sugar trade was controlled by New Christians of Portuguese origin, such as the Ximenes Nunes, originally from Madeira and established in Antwerp.

Trade Fair Notebook (1584-1586) by Simón Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

Fair Notebook, 1584-1586

Fair notebooks are auxiliary accounting books whose purpose is to record payments through an invoice clearing system at the time of the fair.

Letter from Hernando de Morales (1591-03-19) by Hernando de MoralesMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

Letter from Lisbon from H. de Morales to Simón Ruiz, 1591

This letter warns of the arrival of luxurious pieces from the East, a table and a 'cloth quilt' from China. Oriental merchandise arrived in Spain both by the Manila Galleon route and by the Portuguese route or “Carreira da Índia”.

Letter from Simão Rodrigues (1592-12-12) by Simão Rodrigues de ÉvoraMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

Letter from Simão R. de Évora to Simón and Cosme Ruiz, 1592

Simão Rodrigues de Évora, belonging to a powerful Jewish convert family established in Antwerp, entered the business of asientos or credits with the Spanish crown. This letter reports on the few investments made after Farnese's death.

The UNESCO inscribed the Simón Ruiz Archive a World Heritage Site on the "Memory of the World International Register in 2023." More information here.

Credits: Story

Fairs Museum Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
Medina del Campo
https://www.museoferias.net/archivo-simon-ruiz/

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions (listed below) who have supplied the content.
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