Which Spanish agency, founded in 1503 in Seville, regulated trade with the Americas?

The agency founded in Seville in 1503 to regulate Spain’s trade with the Americas was the Casa de Contratación.

Created by the Crown of Castile after Columbus’s voyages, the Casa—often translated as the House of Trade—controlled much of Spain’s official Atlantic commerce. It registered ships and cargoes, collected royal revenues, supervised emigrants, and handled legal disputes involving voyages and merchants. It also gathered navigational information from returning pilots.

The institution was more than a customs office. It helped train pilots and maintained the Padrón Real, a continually revised master map used to guide Spanish exploration and navigation. Its work made Seville the central gateway for Spain’s American empire, although trade was subject to royal monopolies and extensive regulation.

A common mix-up is the Council of the Indies. The Casa focused especially on commerce, shipping, navigation, and related judicial matters, while the Council of the Indies served as a broader institution for advising the monarch and administering Spain’s overseas territories. The Casa remained in Seville until 1717, when it was transferred to Cádiz.