Back in 1884 a Spanish Civil Engineer named Don Gavino Guiterrez came to the Tampa area with the idea of starting a guava preserving plant and becoming rich. After discovering that there was not a large enough supply of guavas in the area to start such a plant, he left and went to Key West on his way back to New York.

His two friends in Key West, Don Vicente Martinez Ybor and Don Ignacio Haya had large cigar factories there and were having constant labor problems. Tampa had everything they needed for their factories: a railroad, a port and the perfect climate for the tobacco leaves.

Don Vicente Martinez Ybor was born in Valencia, Spain. He had gone to Cuba and started cigar factories there. After the Cuban Revolution against Spain started he relocated  to Key West. A fire in the 1880's destroyed his factory so when his friend suggested moving to Tampa he was ready for the change. Ybor bought 16 blocks of land on the outskirts of Tampa and is credited with having those swamp lands  cleared and homes for his factory workers built. The area was soon known as Ybor City.

Over time there were more than 140 cigar factories in Ybor City and it was a magnet for immigrants from Spain, Italy and Cuba. Ybor City, named after Don Vicente Martinez Ybor, became known as the Cigar Capital of the World! Ybor City became a diverse Latin community with Centro Espanol, Centro Asturiano and Unione Italiana providing for all of the medical and social needs of the citizens.

While the cigar factories closed through the years (there were still some producing fine cigars when I was a kid living in Tampa during the 1950's and 1960's), you can still find a few small shops producing fine quality cigars today. Ybor City has a rich culture and wonderful museums that can enrich your visit to the Tampa Bay Area!!

If you love history, YOU WILL LOVE YBOR CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!