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11Restoring Our Heritage: Historic Sites and Structures

We came across a large, low-income housing complex, La Hacienda de Ybor. The nondescript, concrete-block apartments with occasional splashes of terra-cotta represented one of the few promises the government had kept. José Vega Díaz greeted us, his sprightly gait disguising his ninety-four years. He explained how bureaucrats had forced him and his wife, Blanca, from their nearby home. Blanca wailed in grief on eviction day, “I can’t. I can’t!” She was dead by sunset. The couple had survived the rigors of immigration, revolution, radical politics, and union strife, but they could not endure the wrecking ball.

Gary R. Mormino and George E. Pozzetta, The Immigrant World of Ybor City: ...

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