Iberian Port Cities

This critical review covers most of the leading ports of Iberia. It considers literature referring to the processes that contributed to many aspects of human-built and physical Iberian port architecture. From the early 16th century to 1778, some Iberian ports were subjected to very specific political economies applied with varying amounts of force over a lengthy period. These policies were translated into monopolies facilitating the emergence of a series of privileged ports designated as metropoles and a descending chain of tiers of ports barred from direct trading connections with overseas colonial hubs. Iberian metropoles at the time were permitted to trade only with a series of colonial metropoles, such as Havana, Vera Cruz, Cartagena de Indias, and Goa. The history of these policies has not been written as of the mid-2010s. In this way, Lisbon, Seville, and Cadiz served as kingpins for Atlantic and Pacific commercial activities. These ports are central to this article as are major ports within each of Iberia’s chief regions. Literature is available such as O’Flanagan 2008 (cited under General Overviews) dealing with the outcomes from the derogation of the monopoly of the ports in Spain after 1778. Related literature is abundant for a series of interconnected issues, such as urban growth and form, ethnic and residential patterns, and port hinterland and foreland relations. Coverage is weak on social issues, religion, and political contexts.