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A Nation of Shepherds. Donald L. Lucero
Читать онлайн.Название A Nation of Shepherds
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781611394245
Автор произведения Donald L. Lucero
Издательство Ingram
* * *
Their journey continued as they rode through the mountains of Toledo, through Almendralejo, Zafra, and Fuente de Cantos. Days later, as they rode by the stone markers of the Castilian/Andalusian border, Pedro told the members of his mule train that many hundreds of years before, these rich pasturelands had been stud farms for the breeding of cavalry horses. Although the number of beautiful Arab-bred Andalusians in the valley was now greatly diminished, the rich pasturelands remained. And on 23 April 1577, through a forest of olive, orange, and cypress trees which spread out before them, they arrived at the ‘City of Reflections.’ They had been on the road for 20 days. This was several days longer than they had anticipated. However, the muleteers had found Catalina’s swinging litter, the era’s utmost form of comfort, extremely cumbersome, bumping and lurching on the difficult tracks. The Robledos promised themselves that should they be required to make a similar trip in the future, each member of the family would be mounted on his or her own mule.
The Robledos had planned to arrive in Seville for the May sailing of the merchant fleet from that city to Vera Cruz. Prior to 1492, Spain’s trade center had resided in Catalonia on the Mediterranean coast, with Barcelona being the richest and most celebrated port in the world. However, with the discovery of America, trade switched from Catalonia to Seville leaving Catalan merchants and vessels high and dry. Now, Seville and Vera Cruz held the monopolies for all traffic with the West Indies. Seville was Spain’s assigned point of departure, while Vera Cruz was the only seaport through which both New Spain and the other parts of Spanish America got their materials. The Robledos knew there would be a second sailing in September. This second fleet, known as the Terra Firma,3 would be going to Porto Bello on the Isthmus of Panama. After crossing the Isthmus, the cargo of the Terra Firma vessels would be placed upon ships bound for trade in the South Sea. This, however, was not the Robledos’ destination. They were going to Vera Cruz.
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In 1577, Seville, formerly the site of the small Roman acropolis of Hispalis, and now a city of 150,000 inhabitants, was Spain’s largest city. It was composed of two urban centers on either bank of the Guadalquivir River linked by a pontoon bridge. Seville was on the east bank while Triana, a gitaneria or home to a colony of gypsies, was on the west. Gigantic walls, which forced the meandering river into a new channel, separated the two sections of the city. The walls, which had served to bring the river closer to the city, also served as quays, which facilitated the rigging and provisioning of ships. Together, the two cities reflected the two main motivations for overseas travel, religion and commerce.
The mark of Christianity was clearly demonstrated by the number and size of Seville’s religious buildings. These included many monasteries and convents, innumerable churches, chapels, and oratorios, and Seville’s grand cathedral. Cheek by jowl with these were Seville’s Customs’ House, its mint, its marvelous Merchants’ Hall (a magnificent structure of stone and brick close to the cathedral), and its House of Trade, or Casa de Contratacion. These represented Seville’s position as a financial hub for Spain and New Spain. With shopkeepers from England, Flanders, France, Greece, Italy, and Portugal, it was a veritable Babel. These two entities, religion and commerce, dominated life in Seville in the late 16th century, and it was this world in which the Robledos immersed themselves while awaiting departure.
The city was indeed a marvel. As the only repository for all exchange and business with the West Indies, it was literally bursting at the seams. As Spain’s American colonies had only a small number of industries apart from the development of mineral deposits and certain unrefined resources, they were reliant upon imports from Europe for a considerable variety of goods. With Seville’s warehouses bulging, the overflow lay on the strand waiting for inspection. The Robledos had arrived too late to observe the off-loading of precious metals coming from the West Indies, but, they were told that there had been 257 cartloads of silver, gold and pearls of great value.4 Since there was no room within the Casa de Contratacion, large quantities of bar gold and chests full of precious metals remained outside the building in its well-guarded courtyard. These, as well as cocoa, cochineal, leather and skins, sugar, and timber all coming from the West Indies were piled in heaps across the strand. Here, among an incredible array of goods, the Robledos placed their baggage to be watched over by their muleteers.
The strand, or arenal, on which cargo was stored, had the appearance of a colorful and unending bazaar that stretched from the battlement enclosing the city to the left bank of the Guadalquivir River. It was said that one could find bird’s milk here if one wished to have it. There were Moorish azulejos, the distinctive blue and green picture tiles dating from the 14th century that were the preferred decoration for the finest palaces and monasteries. There were hats and caps, shirts and socks, cloth, ironware, oil, silk, soap, tools, wine, and even mercury, the latter destined for the mines of New Spain where it was to be used in the extraction of silver. The cargoes of many foreign nations also littered the strand. The presence of these foreign ships and their cargoes was largely due to the poor quality of cloth then available in Spain and New Spain, and an insufficient quantity of a whole range of exports which might have been provided by Spain itself. Ships had come from Rouen and St. Malo loaded with cloth from Normandy. Italian ships brought fine brocades, while ships from the German cities of Hamburg and Lubek carried lumber and hempen cord and ropes, each essential in the construction of ships. Also on the strand were the foodstuffs needed for the ocean passage. For the three-month voyage (though actually the duration was uncertain and could be longer) the novice sailors would need biscuits and dried meat, cheese, butter, rice, beans, vinegar, oil, salted cod and herring, fruits, vegetables, and red wine. Among the inviting aromas of stews and garlic, one could find the world on the strand.
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On the morning following their arrival, Pedro donned his ‘city clothes’ in preparation for his excursion into the city. His clothing, much of which had been provided him by his father-in-law, consisted of a tight-fitting jacket, with a high stiff collar, short pantaloons, stockings, and a classic Spanish cape. Although the clothes fit him well, except for the pantaloons, which were decidedly too short for him, he was uneasy in them. His well-shaped legs and average height body might have been appropriate to elegant suits and the finest clothes. Although he was a man who preferred wearing clothing for the road, this dress was required for a man of distinction. Pedro, Diego and their agent, Enrique Enriquez, who was to assist them in gaining passage, then set out on their walk to the commercial center of the city.
Their agent’s home and place of business, Catalina’s father had told them, were on the Calle de la Frontera near the tower of St. Mary (formerly known as ‘La Giralda’ or ‘The Weathervane’). This was a 20-story bell tower—now the steeple of the cathedral—built as the minaret for the ancient Grand Mosque that had hugged the walls of the alcazar in the old aljama or Jewish Quarter of the city. Because of the prominence of the tower which rose more than 300 feet above the city’s walls, Pedro and his family had used it as a beacon in their search for their agent’s home.5
After leaving their agent’s house and walking with him through a beautiful walled-in garden cloister at the cathedral, they visited the gradas. These were the steps that led to the Orangery, the ruins of an old mosque that flanked the north side of the Victory-topped cathedral, the third largest church in the world. Here, on the worn steps, the business of arranging overseas travel and trade was being conducted.
On the steps, appearing muy donoso, and perfumed at that, were merchants, ship-owners, bankers and courtiers dressed in short capes, hats with plumes of many colors and with daggers hanging at their sides. They were discussing the value of gold and silver, rates of interest and exchange and the cost of commodities in the West Indies.
Also on the steps, and moving in and out of the milling crowd, were beautifully dressed women carrying embroidered handbags and wearing high-heeled shoes. They were attired in long-sleeved gowns of every color and either high-collared cloaks, vast sleeveless capes, or mantas of tulle or transparent silk which they drew across their faces to reveal just one eye. Diego watched in fascination as these women drifted in and out of the crowd. Occasionally, he could see a cheek