Clock’s Ticking: Tampa Exhibit Spotlights Invisible Immigrants—And Feels Uncomfortably Timely

Clock’s Ticking: Tampa Exhibit Spotlights Invisible Immigrants—And Feels Uncomfortably Timely
Prudencio “Pete” García, shortly after arriving in St. Louis, Missouri, from Asturias, Spain, in 1907. García would go on to become a prominent figure in the city’s Spanish immigrant community, a talented soccer player and official, and a key promoter of youth soccer. In 1950, he made history as the first American to serve as an official at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. (Courtesy of Donald García†, son of the boy portrayed in the photo.)

by Avery Anderson

Tampa’s history has never been simple. But some stories are easier to forget than others.

Invisible Immigrants: Spaniards in the United States (1868-1945)—now in its final month at the Tampa Bay History Center—pulls back the curtain on a long-overlooked chapter of American immigration. Through rare photographs, family letters, and archival records, the exhibit shines a light on Spanish immigrants who came to the U.S. in search of opportunity, only to be squeezed between racial hierarchies and shifting ideas of “whiteness.”

It’s not just a story of the past. As immigration debates continue to dominate headlines, Invisible Immigrants feels pointedly current—especially in Florida, where new laws are changing the realities for immigrant communities right now.

Locally, the exhibit hits close to home. Spaniards played a key role in shaping Tampa’s Ybor City, working in the cigar factories and building mutual aid societies alongside Cuban and Italian neighbors. But their stories have often been erased—overshadowed by flashier immigrant narratives or reduced to footnotes.

This exhibit resists that erasure. It insists that we make space for complex stories—those that don’t fit neatly into today’s political talking points, but are essential for understanding the city’s layered identity.

If You Go:

Invisible Immigrants: Spaniards in the United States (1868-1945)

📍 Tampa Bay History Center, 801 Water St., Tampa

🗓️ Through July 28

🎟️ Included with museum admission (starting at $16.95 for adults)

🔗 Details: tampabayhistorycenter.org

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