Ávila has become these days one of the key points to understanding the 1492 decree expelling the JewsThe Municipal Archive has opened its doors in an extraordinary way to show the public the only original decree signed by the Catholic Monarchs that is preserved in Castile and León with this historic order.
The initiative, promoted by the City Council in collaboration with Network of Jewish Quarters, has filled the archive facilities with visitors, combining historical explanations, reflection on Sephardic memory and a clear vocation to bring to the neighborhood a documentary heritage that, on many occasions, remains hidden among files and boxes.
A single document that ordered the expulsion
The star piece of the day is a document signed on March 31, 1492In this decree, the Catholic Monarchs ordered the expulsion of all Jews from the kingdoms and lordships of Castile and León, along with their families. The text set the last days of July of that same year as the deadline for leaving the territory, and also established the obligations of local authorities to facilitate the movement of those who were departing.
This decree is not the solemn and decorated parchment that many people imagine, but what the person in charge of the archive describes as a “working paper”A practical document, intended to be read aloud in squares and public spaces upon arrival in each city. At that time, royal decrees were copied and sent to various councils for publication and implementation.
The peculiarity of the Ávila specimen lies in the fact that it is the only signed copy preserved in CastileIn the Simancas Archive (Valladolid) there is a draft addressed to Burgos, but without the royal signatures, while the decree for the territories of the Crown of Aragon, signed only by Ferdinand, is kept in the Archive of the Crown of Aragon, in Barcelona.
According to the municipal archivist, the Ávila document is a double folio with text written on both pages and the monarchs' signatures located on a third page. On the reverse, messenger notes can be seen, such as the destination city and the registration number, which provide a very clear idea of how official correspondence was folded and distributed in the 15th century.
The document preserved in the Ávila archive expressly orders that The justices and councils of all towns and cities must help The Jews were ordered to carry out their exile, under penalty of the Royal Decree and confiscation of property if the order was not obeyed. This is, therefore, direct testimony to the severity of the mandate and its administrative execution.
A day centered around Sephardic Culture Day
The display of the decree is part of the celebration of Sephardic Culture DayÁvila has used this date to celebrate its Jewish heritage and archival patrimony. The event, organized by the City Council, included several free guided tours throughout the morning, led by technical staff from the Municipal Archive and the Network of Jewish Quarters.
The Deputy Mayor for Tourism and Culture, Sonsoles Prieto, has indicated that the objective is to turn the day into “a day of remembrance and return”The event is structured around this year's theme, "Exile and Freedom." The proposal aims, on the one hand, to disseminate the history of the expulsion and, on the other, to project Sephardic culture as part of European and Spanish identity.
Prieto highlighted the extraordinary value of the Ávila archive, which “treasures great documents and treasures, a legacy of many years,” and which, thanks to the ongoing work of the archivists, is preserved in suitable conditions. In her words, the expulsion decree is “a unique piece” which allows one to approach one of the best known and at the same time most complex episodes in the history of Spain.
The City Council emphasizes the importance of to highlight the value of a file that is often unknown even for the local residents. That's why the doors were opened exceptionally, allowing anyone to closely examine a document over five centuries old and understand the social, political, and economic context surrounding it.
The event was attended by municipal officials, technical staff from the Network of Jewish Quarters, and citizens interested in local history. Many attendees came out of curiosity and left with a clear impression that the archive is a key space for understanding the city's memory and its connection with the Sephardic world.
Context: Jewish life in Ávila before 1492
Along with the decree, the Municipal Archive has prepared a selection of documents intended to contextualize the presence of the Jewish community in Ávila before and after the expulsion. The idea is that the visitor not only focuses on the moment of exile, but can also reconstruct what daily life was like, the internal organization of the Jewish quarters, and the relationships with the rest of the population.
Among the exhibited pieces is a provision of 1481 of Queen ElizabethThis document orders the judges and magistrates of Ávila to respect the rights and privileges that the Jewish and Moorish communities had possessed since time immemorial. This text demonstrates that, despite the tensions, a legal framework existed that attempted to protect certain rights of minorities.
Another relevant document is a 1483 provision of the Council, won by the Jews of the city themselves, relating to the relocation of the tanneries, arrogues and palambres along the Adaja River for hygienic reasons. The source illustrates how the administration intervened in the location of certain economic activities, seeking to reconcile artisanal production with urban health.
Also on display is a distribution from that same year in which the aljama of Jews and Moors of Ávila are assigned laborers, beasts of burden, hoes and axes for their participation in the Granada campaign of 1483. This document shows that the Jewish community not only contributed with taxes, but also with resources and manpower to the Crown's military enterprises.
Later, in 1492, a decree signed by the Catholic Monarchs expressly orders that Do no harm to the people or property of the Jews They were required to leave the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, under penalty of a fine of 10.000 maravedís. Such measures reflected the monarchy's concern about preventing looting and abuses during a traumatic process for thousands of families.
Taken together, these documents allow us to explore the complex coexistence of the 15th century, in which moments of legal protection, social conflicts, economic interests, and political decisions intertwined, ultimately leading to expulsion. The head of the archive emphasizes that the exhibition's intention is look beyond the decree and offer a broader and more nuanced picture of the city's Jewish past.
An archive with treasures dating back to the 13th century
The exhibition linked to the expulsion decree has also served to put the spotlight on the documentary heritage held by the Municipal Archive of ÁvilaIts collections date back to 1256 and are preserved under strict controlled temperature and humidity conditions to ensure their long-term preservation.
Among the oldest pieces is the Privilege of Alfonso XA 13th-century document considered the oldest in the archive. This type of parchment, along with municipal records, royal decrees, censuses, and other registers, allows us to trace the institutional, social, and economic evolution of the city throughout the centuries.
The municipal archivist, Sonsoles Guillén, insists that the Ávila archive is a “magnificent municipal archive” that, nevertheless, tends to remain “very unknown and hidden.” Activities like these guided tours aim precisely to change that. to publicize that heritage and to demonstrate that archives are not just repositories of old papers, but living tools for understanding the present.
The preservation of documentation requires very specific measures: it is continuously monitored temperature and humidity In the rooms, light exposure is controlled and storage systems are used to prevent stress on the materials. In the case of the expulsion order, the document is stored horizontally so that the weight of the paper itself does not cause deformation.
Guillén sums up the situation with a graphic phrase: the decree is “kept under lock and key”The expression is not just metaphorical; access to these types of pieces is very restricted and outings for public exhibition are carefully planned, assessing both their social interest and the risks to conservation.
The City Council insists that opening the archive to the public does not mean neglecting its preservation, but rather reinforcing it, by raising awareness about the importance of protecting these unique testimoniesThe recognition of Ávila as a benchmark in the conservation of the Sephardic legacy also involves making visible this silent work of control and maintenance.
The experience at the Ávila Municipal Archive with the exhibition of the original decree of expulsion of the Jews shows the extent to which A single document can condense centuries of history, memory, and debateThe combination of guided tours, documentary context and reflection on Sephardic Culture Day has allowed residents and visitors to glimpse Jewish life before the exile, the trauma of 1492 and the value of archives as guardians of a past that continues to challenge the European and Spanish present.