De Extremadura a la Capitanía General de Guatemala: inmigrantes, funcionarios e ingenieros militares a ambos lados del Atlántico.

Abstract

The Spanish migration policy to the American continent has been a focus of attention for researchers ever since the last decades of the 20th century. Most authors analyze the lists of passengers that moved to America from mid-16th century, among which stood out high officials, artisans, servants, ecclesiastics, priests, and men, women and children in general searching for jobs and a better quality of life in the New World. However, few of them mention the work carried out by specialized technicians at the service of the Spanish Crown in both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to confirm the presence of several military engineers in the construction of the defensive system of Extremadura and the General Captaincy of Guatemala, whose work has so far gone unnoticed.