Alonso Hernández del Portillo facts for kids

Alonso Hernández del Portillo (1543–1624) was a Spanish politician and historian. He is famous for being the first person to write down the history of the city of Gibraltar.

Who Was Alonso Hernández del Portillo?

Alonso Hernández del Portillo was born in Gibraltar in 1543. This was during the time when Spain ruled Gibraltar. He was an important member of the Gibraltar City Council. He had a special job called jurado, which meant he was in charge of making sure the city had enough food. He did this job in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

His Main Book

Between 1605 and 1610, Alonso wrote his most important book. It was called Historia de la Muy Noble y Más Leal Ciudad de Gibraltar. This means History of the Very Noble and Most Loyal City of Gibraltar. It was the very first written history of Gibraltar. He later checked and updated his book between 1615 and 1622.

The original handwritten copy of his history was kept safe in the archives of Algeciras. Later, another Spanish historian named Ignacio López de Ayala used Alonso's work. He used it as a source for his own book, History of Gibraltar, which came out in 1792.

What Was His Work About?

Alonso Hernández del Portillo's book tells the story of Gibraltar from its very beginnings. He believed its history started with ancient figures like Heracles. This part of the story connects to how the Phoenicians and Ancient Greeks explored and settled the Iberian Peninsula. His book covers history all the way up to his own time.

What Made His Book Special?

His book also includes many old legends and stories. However, it doesn't have much information about the time when the Moors ruled Gibraltar. The most valuable part of his work is his descriptions of things he saw himself. This period of Gibraltar's history was not well known before his book.

Thanks to his writings, we know a lot about Gibraltar in the 1500s. We learned about the people, the industries, the port, and how they traded goods. We also found out about fishing and farming activities in the city during that time.

Modern Editions of His Book

In recent times, a Spanish historian named Antonio Torremocha has published Alonso's book. Antonio Torremocha is an expert on the history of the Campo de Gibraltar area.

The first modern edition was published in 1994. It was called Historias de Gibraltar, which means Stories of Gibraltar. A second, updated edition came out in 2008. This one was titled History of Gibraltar. Antonio Torremocha described Alonso del Portillo as a "Renaissance Man". This means Alonso was a person who was interested in many different subjects, like history, politics, and culture, just like people during the Renaissance period.

See also

In Spanish: Alonso Hernández del Portillo para niños