Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.
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"Little Havana" : Folklife in Miami Slide/Tape Program
Geographic Term
Subject Term
Material culture--Florida--Dade County--Miami--Little Havana
Cuban American men--Florida--Dade County--Miami--Little Havana
Cigar industry--Florida--Dade County--Miami--Little Havana
Cigar makers--Florida--Dade County--Miami--Little Havana
Leaves
Tobacco
Occupational groups--Florida--Dade County--Miami--Little Havana
Cigar making
Crops--Florida--Dade County--Miami--Little Havana
Personal Subjects
Corporate Subject
Physical Description
General Note
Accompanying note: "Cigar-rolling is a traditional skill, learned in Cuba, that has enriched Miami's small industries. Rafael Martinez is perhaps typical of the many skilled craftsmen of 'Little Havana.'"
"'My name is Rafael Martinez. I was born in Havana, Cuba. My father was a cigar-roller in Cuba and I worked for La Carona Cigar Factory before I came from Cuba. I learned the art right there at the factory. The best cigars are made right now in Miami. Because we, the experts, the cigar rollers are here, and we have really tried very hard. My shop is very small. Some are very big and they are factories. But like mine, there are three or four in Miami.
In Cuba, the women stripped the leaves only. That was women's work and only women did that. My wife does this here. We sort the leaves by color and size. Then we have to wet it, it will be softer. A new cigar-roller has to sit down for many days with an expert and watch everything and learn how to pick each piece. That's the first thing you have to learn.'"
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Chicago Manual of Style
Bulger, Peggy A. Ramar Cigars owner Rafael Martinez examining a tobacco leaf - Miami, Florida. 1980 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/120400>, accessed 12 June 2026.
MLA
Bulger, Peggy A. Ramar Cigars owner Rafael Martinez examining a tobacco leaf - Miami, Florida. 1980 (circa). State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/120400>
AP Style Photo Citation
(State Archives of Florida/Bulger)
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