Silk Exchange

The building is understood as a temple for commerce and presents a symbolical character. It looks like a fortress because of its thick walls and merlons. It was built with the idea of representing the paradise: its columns would be the palm trees´ trunks and the domes would represent the vault of heaven.

The whole complex consists of four parts: the Salón de Contratación (Contract or Trading Hall) where commercial exchanges were made, and that consists of a great hall divided into three longitudinal naves by 16 meters high spiral columns; the tower that is composed by two high floors; a ground floor, the Consulado del Mar (Consulate of the Sea), where the chapel and the prison were located and where disputes between the merchants were solved, and finally, the Patio de los Naranjos (Courtyard of Orange Trees). It was started in 1498 and finished in 1548 that is why it has Renaissance influence.