On a bit more personal note, my experience in the Archivos Capitulares has been quite positive. The head archivist speaks in a fairly heavily accented Castillian that I have a hard time following, but he is extraordinarily patient and helpful. The younger canons are somewhat easier to communicate with.
The archive has a very small reading room, and all of the documents are stored in rooms in the back. It is part of the cloister and chapter house of the Cathedral, surrounding the large cloister garden (a Muslim import). The archivists are surprisingly cavalier with 900 year old documents, handing them over as though it were nothing. It is very interesting to look at the actual signature and hand-writing of the men I have been studying for so long.
Entering the Archivo is sort of weird. It is accessed through a small door on the side of the Cathedral wall. I have to "buzz" the archivists to be let in. Unfortunately, the entire cloister is undergoing extensive repairs, so what is usually a peaceful setting is somewhat hectic.
Can you take pictures inside or of the documents themselves? Are there many other people there doing any research? I bet if you brought gifts every day they would show you the 'good stuff'.
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