El Colegio de Pilotos Vizcaínos de Cádiz. La otra historia marítima de los vascos: del Mare Nostrum al Pacífico

For its singularity and rarity, the “School of Vizc ayan Navigators” in Cadiz aroused the curiosity of a number of contemporary historians. Based on our stu dies, we believe it is reasonable to believe it was established by King Alfonso X (Alfonso the Wise), t o create a royal navigation institution in Cadiz.During the Middle Ages Basque navigators enjoyed a monopoly on the trading routes between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic and vice versa. The ordinances of the school were confirmed by the Catholic Monarchs in 1500. It was based in the Old Cathedral of Cadiz, now the church of Santa Cruz, which had the first cathedral chapel known as the “ chapel of the Vizcayans”. The enigmatic School of Vizcayan Navigators may be considered to have been the first known maritime institution of the Middle Ages. It finally closed around 1583