The Archive of the Condes of Revillagigedo Joins Collections Preserved at Spain’s Archivo Histórico de la Nobleza

The Ministry of Culture in Spain has acquired the extensive private archive of the Condes of Güemes y Revilla-Gigedo which will be housed in the Archivo Histórico de la Nobleza, Toledo. These papers encompass the family archive of the ancestors of Álvaro Armada Barcaiztegui, the current Conde de Revilla-Gigedo, and contain historical records on the Spanish empire, early modern Europe, and the Americas that are global in scope.

For the history of the United States, the Revilla-Gigedo archive is an essential source of information on the career of  Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his “enterprise of Florida,” the establishment of the settlements of Saint Augustine and Santa Elena, and the creation of La Florida as a part of Spain’s colonial possessions.

In addition, it documents the eighteenth century careers of the first and second condes, Francisco de Güemes y Horcasitas (1746-1755) and Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas Y Aquayo (1789-1794), both of whom served as viceroys of Mexico during critical eras in the colonial period.

You can read the official announcement about the archive and see examples of collection materials at the “New Arrivals” section of the Archivo Histórico de la Nobleza. A master copy of the collection on microfilm (641 reels) is housed and maintained by the George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, and a positive user copy of the film is available to visiting researchers. Copyright to the archive remains in the family. Researchers may copy materials for their own use although no digitization or publication of the materials is allowed with permission of don Álvaro Armada Barcaiztegui. Conditions for using and citing the archive are available here: Read the Agreement Form for Researchers.

A brief Finding Aid for the archive is provided by the Archivo Histórico de la Nobleza which is currently making a survey of all the contents.