During the first two decades of the 17th century King Philip III (1598-1621) of Spain and Portugal launched an effort to standardize all shipbuilding in the Iberian Peninsula. These efforts of standardization constitute an important collection of information about Iberian shipbuilding practices of that period. This thesis will analyze the content of the three sets of ordinances, issued in 1607, 1613 and 1618, in the context of the history of the Iberian Peninsula, the regulation of the Carrera de Indias (Indies Trade), and Spanish shipbuilding practices based on written sources of that period.