Treasure Excavations in the Medieval and Early Modern Hispanic World

a study of bureaucratic, inquisitorial, and

criminal records of licensed and illicit treasure-hunting and grave-

robbing in Iberia and colonial Latin America

Buried treasure’s paper trail

This project gathers together sources from across the medieval and early modern Hispanic World

Criminal Trials

Illegal excavations were criminally prosecuted.

Inquisition Records

The use of magic was forbidden but popular.

Treasure-hunting Licenses

A bureaucratic system built on claim-staking, excavation companies, and taxation.

Grave-robbing Permits

Medieval treasure hunting applied to indigenous American tombs

Legal Codes

From Plato to the Compendium of Laws of the Kingdoms of the Indies.

Magical Grimoires

The Picatrix: “Wherever the key falls from his feet, know that there is treasure there.”

Map and Database

Interactive map and database of excavation records

The Treasure Map

  • Approximate locations (exact locations hidden).
  • Details about treasure hunters.
  • Description of finds.

The Treasure Trove

  • Archival signatures.
  • Sortable by date and location.
  • Hundreds of years of records.

“If they wanted to escape poverty, they should go and extract a treasure.”

Christóbal García, fieldworker, 1684

ARCV,SALAS DE LO CRIMINAL,CAJA 972,6,f18r.

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