Why did Spain close its border with Gibraltar after the 1967 referendum?

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The Rock of Gibraltar rises steeply behind a coastal city, with green-blue water in the foreground and a partly cloudy sky above. — Gibraltar The rock of Gibraltar.

In the 1960s, the Spanish government intensified its campaign for the "decolonization" of Gibraltar. Following a 1967 referendum in which residents overwhelmingly voted to maintain their association with Britain rather than accept Spanish sovereignty, tensions escalated.1

When Britain introduced a new constitution for the territory in 1969 that explicitly reaffirmed this British link and granted Gibraltar full internal self-government, Spain responded by closing its border. This blockade was intended to pressure the territory by cutting off its access to Spanish trade and a vital labor force of Spanish commuters. The border remained closed until 1985.1