As conquerors became the conquered and were expelled from the Iberian peninsula, they left their mark in the form of art, music, dance, and cuisine. An example is flamenco; flamenco was formed by a fusion of cultures, by the descendants of people who immigrated from India, incorporating Moorish and Jewish music along the way.

The most studied and well-documented people in the history of Spain were the Iberians for which the peninsula was named. They were a tribe from the northern European continent. After them came the Celtics tribe, also from north Europe and several other smaller tribes. Apparently, they co-existed well and became the first permanent inhabitants in the peninsula. Then came the Phoenicians from North Africa. Although they were friendly, they had the same goal…to stay in Spain. Following them, arrived the Cartagenians who were the first empire in Spain. They were not as friendly as the Phoenicians who were not warriors, but traders. But the Cartagenians were able to expel the Phoenicians and make a stronghold in the Iberian peninsula, with the ambition of taking over the whole of Europe, an enterprise that they tried but failed. They established the city of Cartagena that became the most important port of Europe in that era. Today Cartagena is still one of the most important ports in Spain and a thriving city where still can be seen the remains of earlier civilizations.

Again it took another invader to expel the previous conqueror, the Cartagenians. This new empire was none other than the Romans, known for their ruthlessness and unlimited ambition to rule the world. They were absorbed into the Spanish peoples as Rome's power crumbled. Then we, as an established nation in the Iberian peninsula, enjoyed relatively quiet times for a century. It didn't last too long, for in the 6 th century another emerging power in North Africa desired to conquer Spain, and they were the Moors. The sense of a national identity was already present in the Spaniards. El Cid proved it by, for the first time in our history, starting the expulsion of these conquerors the Moors. (A great movie “El Cid” was made in the early 1960's where Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren did a superb job of portraying this hero of our history.) It took another 400 years to totally expel them from Spain. That culminated in the latter part of the 15 th century when Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand received the keys of Granada, handed to them by the last Moorish king. Of all the conquerors, the Moors were the longest occupying invaders, for they stayed 700 years.

When Spain thought that the era of invaders was over, in the 1800's Napoleon in a surprise move very quickly invaded and conquered the entire peninsula. This didn't last long, for the whole nation rebelled and the French army was quickly expelled. Probably Spain has been the most desired and attacked country in the world. The forming of this nation was not easy; not just the invaders inflicted pain and suffering to its inhabitants, but also internal feuds provoked by corrupt and wicked kings and their courts.

Why were so many peoples, cultures and civilizations pursuing the possession of the Iberian peninsula? Some of the reasons that I personally believe are: strategic location as the bridge between Europe and Africa; the climate, the rivers and their fertile deltas. One proof of this is that Murcia today is called the Vegetable Basket of Europe. And last but not least, the cheerful and hospitable nature of Spain's people.

Now Spain is a free country, but the purchase of this freedom was again paid for dearly by the people in that last (God willing) attempt to possess it.

There was a man in the recent history of the world who was brave and dared to call the Soviet Union “the evil empire.” That man was Mr. Reagan, arguably the best president of the United States of America in the last century. This same evil empire attempted to conquer Spain in the early 1930's, seeing the great opportunity to have Spain as the bridge to Africa and the southern part of Europe. This time in history the evil empire was not just interested in the land, but also in owning the souls and minds of Spain's people. The Communist ideology that they embrace and export, as recent history has shown us, was the most brutal and criminal of all empires known to the world. We were able to fight them back, but paid a high price in lives. This developed into the Spanish Civil War which cost one million lives. The result is well known. Spain won and kicked out that evil ideology that the Soviet Union represented. This victory was directed by Don Francisco Franco Bahamonde, best known as General Franco. Unfortunately, after the victory, the result was an unwanted dictatorship that lasted forty years. After the death of General Franco, the transition to a democratic system was accomplished by no unrest, nor bloodshed.

Spain today is a young, vibrant democracy, strong in the beliefs of Freedom and the institutions that strengthen that Freedom, most of all the Family.

Nowadays, we are still being invaded, but by friendly people who visit us each year to enjoy and learn more about Spain. We have become the second most visited country on the planet Earth, after the United States of America. In 2003, almost fifty million people visited Spain and thousands of them choose to move to live and work and many of them to retire here.

We do personally urge you to visit Spain if you have not already done so. Come visit, eat with us, visit our beaches, enjoy the dancing and singing we are known for, drink our wonderful wines, taste the best olive oil and our cuisine, participate in our fiestas, see the new and the old Spain!

P.S. - Since we have had many requests by email for the entire set of five postcards by persons who have received one, as well as by postcard collectors and by many descendants of Spaniards in different countries, we now offer by mail a minimum of two sets (10 postcards) for the total price of Ten Euros or Ten Dollars, postage and handling included.
We accept personal checks or money orders made payable to Daniel Ibanez.
Allow three to five weeks for delivery.
Mail orders to: Daniel Ibanez,
                      Aptdo. 70
                      3029894 P.T. LORCA
                      Murcia, Spain