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32. Trade Is Impeded
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32 trade is impeded We receive intolerable harm and injury because our trade is impeded and shut down. —seville’s merchants T he count of villar’s caution before declaring Cazalla de la Sierra plague free proved to be warranted. On 25 April the governor received “very certain news” that Cazalla had “fallen back into sickness”; there were many sick and dead of the plague, including two prominent citizens, Don Cristóbal Moscoso and his wife, Doña María de Marchena. Almost at the same time that news of Cazalla’s relapse reached Seville, Constantina’s officials were attempting to prove that their town was now healthy. Three local physicians testified on 15 April to that effect. Juan Sánchez, a barber surgeon, stated that in the past he had “bled and treated the sick who had the disease of the plague,” but now everyone was healthy. Francisco de Heredía, a physician who had worked in the pesthouse, affirmed that there were no more cases of “buboes.” The surgeon Sebastián Garrido also declared the town to be healthy. Bachiller Miguel Díaz, the Sevillian physician who had replaced Dr. Centurio, reported on 24 April that for the past seven days there had been no new cases of the plague. He also mentioned to his superiors in Seville that Constantina’s officials, who had been notoriously stingy in providing funds for the plague expenses, were planning to appeal his salary of forty reales because they thought it excessive. Considering the bad news from Cazalla de la Sierra, Seville’s officials were in no hurry to act in the case of Constantina ; the town would have to wait. Conil, on the southern coast of Spain, was more successful in proving its healthfulness. Shortly after the Count of Villar added Conil to the list of plague towns, its resident physician, Licentiate Fernando Enríquez, sent a report to Seville affirming that the town was healthy and that he had not been called to visit anyone sick. He stated that he would know if anyone were stricken because trade is impeded | 247 1. AMS, sec. 13, siglo XVI, vol. 6. A cahíz varied in size according to region; in Castile, it was equivalent to about 690 kilograms. he was “alone in my capacity in this town, with a salary that its council gives me annually of 138 ducats and one cahíz of wheat.”1 The local priest echoed the doctor’s assertion regarding the town’s health conditions. After the Count of Villar received these reports he sent Licentiate Gerónimo de Burgos to inspect Conil. When the physician reached the town, he accompanied Licentiate Enr íquez in visiting three patients. According to Licentiate Burgos, one person had asthma and the other two suffered from continuous fevers. He vouched that there was no “plague or contagious disease” present and pronounced the town “very healthy.” The count accepted this finding and on 12 May restored full communications with Conil. Local officials must have been relieved to have their town removed from the dreaded quarantine list. The day after the stigma of plague was erased from Conil, the town of Carmona found itself on the list of places to guard against. On 13 May the Count of Villar was informed that people had come to the Carmona Gate of Seville warning that there was plague in Carmona “of which many people die.” The governor took swift action. He questioned two guards of the Carmona Gate, who stated that three or four people had come from Carmona who revealed that the town“was guarding from its own outskirts because there was plague there.” One of the travelers told them that there was plague also “inside the town and that many people were dying.” As with other reports, the count ordered testimony to be taken, but without waiting for confirmation, he cut all communications with nearby town. Carmona’s largesse in permitting the transit of merchandise from infected communities through the town en route to Seville cost them dearly. Protecting Seville from deadly disease without harming the city’s commercial interests seemed an impossible task. On 26 April 1582, the Count of Villar received an irate petition from a group of merchants. The men complained about the blocking of shipments of wine, vinegar, and textiles destined for the New Spain fleet, arguing that His Majesty would be defrauded of his rights if this merchandise did...