"Since the very beginning, our document collection has been extraordinarily rich and extensive. It constitutes our memories, the collective memories of society itself, which allow us to trace our political, social, economic and also cultural history."

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How to journey through 30 kilometres of History without leaving the Banco de España’s Archive

When we think of an Archive, we generally imagine a quiet place, packed with old books and papers. Yet the Banco de España’s Archive is much more than a collection of documents: it is the living memory of an institution and, at the same time, a reflection of Spain’s economic, social and cultural history.

In this episode of CIENxCIEN, Ana Comellas talks to Patricia Alonso, Raquel Jiménez and Rosario Calleja, all of whom are archivists in the Bank’s Historical and General Archive, to find out how such a unique document collection that spans more than 240 years of history and almost 30 linear kilometres of documents has been built up and conserved.

Ranging from the very first documents of the Banco de San Carlos, founded in 1782, to the Banco de España’s current records, the Archive holds minute books, plans of major public works, accounting ledgers, photographs, personal files and documents that allow us to reconstruct not only the history of the Bank itself but also of the society it has served. Each document is part of a coherent whole that gives context to the decisions made, projects undertaken and those involved over the course of time, demonstrating that an institution cannot be fully understood without its archive, nor an archive without its institution.

During the conversation our experts explain that documents do not come to be part of the Historical Archive at random. Rather, all documents travel a long path, from their origination and subsequent use in the Bank’s day-to-day activity until, following evaluation and selection by experts, some are deemed to be of historical, cultural or informative value and are held permanently. This work ensures that documents do not become hidden treasures, but instead accessible and orderly sources of information for researchers, institutions and society at large.

The episode also addresses how each era makes its mark, as the form of documentary media changes. Today, beautifully handwritten 18th-century books made from top-quality materials co-exist with fragile photographs and digital documents. The form of the documentation has changed, but the challenge remains the same: to conserve the information and ensure it is available to future generations. During the conversation the archivists explain the work they do today to safeguard the memories of tomorrow.

This episode of CIENxCIEN is an invitation to take a fresh look at the archives and to understand that document conservation – whether on paper, photographs or in binary form – is an essential way to ensure that history continues to be written.

What’s more, this episode comes with extra content! We couldn’t possibly discuss the Banco de España’s Archive without considering the women who are also part of its memory and yet were for a long time invisible. In this additional section we delve into the Historical Archive’s photographic collection, to recover, through the images and accompanying documents, the stories of the Banco de España’s first female employees and of many other working women whose lives were captured in photographs and files. This venture shows how photography tells the history not only of those who took centre stage but also of those who were confined to the background.