IF THE BRITISH HAD NOT TAKEN GIBRALTAR - SI LOS BRITÁNICOS NO HUBIERAN TOMADO GIBRALTAR
IF THE BRITISH HAD NOT TAKEN GIBRALTAR, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BORN An essay on history, borders, and genealogy in the Campo de Gibraltar There are historical theories supported by documents, archives, and international treaties. And then there are theories supported by something far more powerful: the very existence of those who propose them . Mine is simple, direct, and, for some, rather uncomfortable: had the British not taken Gibraltar in 1704, I would not have been born. And I do not mean this metaphorically. I mean it in the literal, biological, genealogical sense. 1. The border that created an entire people The capture of Gibraltar did not merely alter the geopolitics of the Strait. It transformed the demography of the entire region. Thousands of Gibraltarians fled to what is now San Roque. Thousands more arrived, drawn by trade, smuggling, and the economic opportunities generated by a British port set in the heart of Andalusia. But it was not only Andalusians who came....
