Tangier has been an international city since the end of the 18th century, when it was turned into Morocco’s capital of diplomacy by the sultan. Subsequently, its opening up to the world led Spain and its people to play a prominent role: demographically, linguistically and culturally. This article looks at the role of Spanish people in the city from the time it became a refuge for liberals in the early part of the 19th century until it turned into a destination of economic emigration for its neighbours from the opposite shores of the Strait of Gibraltar. Owing to the research carried out in the Archives of the Spanish Consulate General in Tangiers, the Spanish colony’s background, from the Eighties in the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, as well as the demographic evolution to the present day, have been analysed. The article also reviews diverse aspects of life in the city during the 20th century, visibly hispanicized due to the dominant presence of 30,000 Spaniards residing there during the period corresponding to international regulation. After the Independence, the Spanish colony gradually began to decline, its influence dissipating in the mass immigration of the country’s interior.
Tangiers, Morocco, demography, Spanish people in Morocco.