Digital Fragments of History

The first documents collected in the archive were from notaries and registries, namely the deeds from the province that were over 100 years old, in accordance with the notarial protocols in place at the time.

The archive's oldest notarial deed

The archive's oldest document has been chosen from more than 10,000 notarial registers, which originate from the four notarial districts of the province where public deeds were once collected. It is a lease letter addressed to Francisco de Valdivia, a resident of Almería, issued on June 17, 1519.

The citizens of an islamic Almería: the moors and documents in their language

After the Christian conquest of Almería by the Catholic Monarchs in 1489, the Muslim population mostly retained a majority in Almería until they were driven out in 1570.

Before that time, they were forced to convert to Catholicism and adopt Christian culture, though they continued to speak and write in their mother tongue. A multitude of documents describes their activities and are signed in Arabic. These documents are, once again, a reflection of the cultural mix in these lands over the centuries.

From Almería to the indies

Numerous documents kept in the archive record the trade and activities of citizens from Almería who left for the Americas and became involved in the new trade routes.

For example, this document is from Bartolomé Marín de Poveda, who gained extraordinary wealth and power. He came from a well-known family, of which some members emigrated from Lúcar (in Almería) to the Indies in the 17th century.

The pressure of nobility

In a society such as that of the Old Regime (political and social system commonly known as the Ancien Régime), citizens were concerned with promoting their social and noble status. Many documentary records relate to citizens who were granted exemptions on and ownership over assets and rights, and which guaranteed the transfer and ownership of these assets and rights.

Moreover, the archive contains diverse sources from which interesting genealogical information can be obtained.

The document on display here shows a family tree in part of a testimony requested by the Royal Court of Justice.

Trade in Almería

Owing to its location and Mediterranean port, Almería was a main enclave for trade with North Africa.

Many preserved documents stemming from this naval-trade activity provide details on materials and goods that came and went through Almería's dock. These items came from, and were destined for, other parts of the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean.

The document shown here belongs to the so-called "Libros de Aduanas", or customs books, and contains information on trade conducted in the last third of the 18th century and the second half of the 19th century, as well as taxes collected for the arrival of goods and materials to the port.

The 19th century: a mining century

Mining was the most important chapter in the history of Almería's economy in the 19th and 20th centuries, boosting the influx of investors and infrastructure in a way that transformed the province's natural and economic landscape.

The railway was the chosen method of transport for mining production while the waterways served as an outlet for trade and exports.

The book shown here is the record of charges for revenues from lead in the factories of Presidio (Fondón) and Canjáyar.

Salmerón and Federal Spain

In light of his intellectual and political career, Nicolás Salmerón, President of the First Spanish Republic, is one of the most prominent figures of 19th-century Spain. His thinking and personal journey convey the profound and turbulent political changes that took place in the second half of the 19th century.

Born in 1837 in Alhama la Seca, now Alhama de Almería, his political thought was characterized by the defense of the autonomous regions of Spain. His idea that Spain is both "one and diverse, one and plural" is widely recognized, which makes him the forerunner of the Autonomous Communities of Spain, as they are known today.

The document shown here is a record of his personal life as a student: It shows the grades he obtained in the Institute of Secondary Education of Almería.

Festivals

The Plaza de Toros (Bulls' Square) in Almería, inaugurated in 1888, has been the location for numerous bullfighting festivals. All of these festivals needed authorization from the local government. Nowadays, they are authorized by the presiding government office.

Government permits for these bullfighting festivals have been preserved in the archive, along with a collection of posters and announcements, the oldest of which dates back to 1895.

Emigration

Spain saw a period of mass emigration from the end of the 19th century until around the 1930s.

Despite some statistical gaps, this archive contains records of the ships and passengers who left Spain between 1901 and 1950.

These documents contain passenger lists used to create the Official Statistics on Migratory Movements. They provide diverse and precise information about the people who departed during this period, including their first names, surnames, gender, age, marital status, profession, level of education, destination and ultimate place of residence.

Lorca in Almería

The Historical Archive of the Province of Almería houses documents related to the schooling of this poet from Granada, who attended some undergraduate classes in the city of Almería. They provide substantial records of his academic education.

The document is Federico García Lorca's entrance exam from the Institute of Secondary Education of Almería, where he applied for a bachelor's degree in 1908.

Almería "land of cinema"

The film An Eye for an Eye, shot in the Tabernas desert in 1966, is considered the first production that made Almería's landscape known.

In its wake, films like Cleopatra, Patton, Conan the Barbarian, Three Ruthless Ones, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Death of a President were shot in the 60s and 70s.

Thanks to shooting films in the region, the film industry was boosted and tourism became a source of income for the province. This photograph from 1962, shows a moment in the shooting of the film Lawrence of Arabia.

Lawrence of Arabia

Directed by David Lean and starring Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif and Antony Quinn, Lawrence of Arabia may be the biggest blockbuster made in this region. It took more than two years to shoot the film.

The image shown here is of a document created by the local government to allow film shooting in the natural landscape of Almería.

Tourism

In the 1950s, Spain established itself as a tourist destination.

This decade saw the development of infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, airports and urban developments, designed to facilitate tourism in Spain. This development began in the Costa del Sol and took a few years to reach Almería. Tourism took off in the area thanks to two fundamental events: the declaration of Aguadulce as a National Tourist Interest in 1964, and the opening of its airport in 1968.

This photograph was taken in 1976, on the Day of the Tourist: a celebration that became widespread along the coastal towns during the tourism boom.