Ybor City is one of only three National Historic Landmark Districts in Florida.  Cobblestone streets and very large, old cigar factory buildings make up this historic and legendary town.  Founded in 1886 by Vicente Martinez Ybor, Ybor City became “the cigar capital of the world” by 1900.

The factories were worked by mostly Cuban cigar makers, and to a lesser degree by Italians and Spaniards.  By the early 1950’s the cigar factories were gone.

Ybor was revitalized in the late 1990’s and now attracts large numbers of visitors due to the wide variety of shops, restaurants, clubs,  and galleries; and of course having a hand-rolled cigar is a must while visiting.

Dawn Duffield, a painter, designer and photographer from Tampa, Florida, is the newest member of aamora. She tells us: “What I am most interested in is light and human nature. My work mostly comes from my subconscious in an emotional language that people seem to understand.” — You can enjoy more of Dawn’s photography at projectdawn.net.