Las Cigarreras hosts this Saturday a new project presentation exploring the history of the Tobacco Factory, its cultural significance, and the women who shaped its story nearly two centuries ago. This rotating exhibition combines photographic and audiovisual work, with involvement from residents of the San Antón neighborhood and contributions from more than twenty former cigarette workers. The result is a book and a short film that bring Alicante’s history into focus and illuminate the story of the female workers. The event is free and will take place at the Casa de la Música this Saturday at noon.
The photographer and project coordinator explains that the idea grew from a 2019 initiative funded as part of the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy Edusi Alicante Las Cigarreras District, co-financed with Feder funds. The project highlights how pivotal the Tobacco Factory has been to the surrounding community since its opening in 1801, with neighborhoods forming around it. Many people are unaware of the factory’s history, including the fact that it employed thousands of workers, among them many women who helped build a local legacy that still resonates today. A nine-person neighborhood working group, including Andrea Restrepo Hernández, Ángeles Gallego Medina, Encarni Mora Soriano, Ester Andrés Pastor, Javier González Rey, Quino Andréu Gómez, Dolores Miralles-Alberola, Maike Sommer, and Orquidia Azorín Vaquero, contributed to researching the factory and its cigarette cases between April and December 2021.
Projection materials from the Lucia Morate factory are showcased, along with notes about collaboration with the Municipal Archive, the cultural center, and the personal files of former employees. The project includes interviews and portraits of former workers who walked the paths to the factory from nearby towns, underscoring the significance of the routes they traversed each day. The retrospective also recalls the May 20 incident, when a fire at the factory claimed two lives and was attributed to the protection of a sacred image.
In total, twenty-four former workers are still alive, with portraits created from the stories of families who remember those who have passed. The collection also features images depicting the daily journeys of workers and the varied backgrounds they brought to the factory, echoing another series by Morate that projected photographs inside historic spaces. The material has also been transformed into a short film produced with Rafa G. Sanchez and Runtun Movies, a blend of documentary and narrative elements that features contributions from workers who share their experiences with passion. The film explores women’s labor history, solidarity organizations, and the fight for workers’ rights. It portrays a group of women from diverse backgrounds who supported one another and fought for better working conditions, including Saturdays off, access to childcare, and housing, often purchased along Calle Sevilla. As the project notes, men later joined as machinery was installed in the factory, marking a shift in the workplace dynamic.
The book accompanying the project includes a folding poster, two postcards, and a flyer, with an initial print run of 300 copies. The short film will be distributed to participants and municipal libraries and features a musical piece composed by Laura María Lang and Sofía Canoura Franco, performed by Marina Rómán Munuera. A copy of the film will be uploaded to the City Council website after the Saturday presentation and is expected to be shared with former cigar workers and the Cultural Council member Antonio Manresa.
The project team believes this story will continue beyond its launch, aiming to bring Alicante’s history into educational centers and closer to younger generations who may not be familiar with this chapter. There is also ongoing dialogue with similar initiatives at former tobacco factories in other cities, including Madrid, to explore potential collaborations in the future.