Tabacaleros – cintiasegovia

Tobacco Lands
Marisa J. Futernick and Cintia Segovia Figueroa
January 21–February 20, 2025
Artists talk: Friday January 24, 12pm
Bolivar Art Gallery University of Kentucky
Art and Visual Studies Building, 236 Bolivar Street, Lexington, KY

“Tabacaleros,” photography installation, 2025

Farm owners have turned to immigrant workers. Striving to make ends meet, these laborers move physically, mentally, and emotionally between their responsibilities in Mexico and the arduous labor in “el norte” (the north). This migration, from the lush fields of Nayarit, Mexico, to the tobacco farms of Kentucky, tells a powerful story of resilience. This summer, I traveled to Nayarit, the place of origin for the tabacaleros (tobacco workers) who I have been photographing for the past two years, to interview them in their homes and at their jobs there.

Jhony, a tobacco worker, posted these videos on TikTok. The videos also highlight the camaraderie among these immigrant workers who, despite being acquaintances back in Mexico, spend the entire day together while working in the US, forming a special bond.

In January, a small crew prepares seedling starters. These men labor to support their children’s education, ensuring they won’t have to work in this job. In the red hat, Vicente Covarrubias was part of the first crew of tabacaleros in Murray, more than a decade ago. He doesn’t go back home due to his immigrant status. The community in Kentucky has become his family.

Intense heat and humidity characterized Kentucky’s summer. Their workday commences at 6am as dew settles on the leaves, posing a risk to the tabacaleros, who could suffer from nicotine poisoning if they touch the leaves, an issue they refer to as el monstruo verde, or the green monster.

During the summer, they endure 12-hour workdays. If they are lucky, they receive brief 10-minute breaks every few hours, a provision not always granted by some farmers to their crews.

Urbano (right) has been working the tobacco for 20 years. For Manuel (left) this is only his third season in Kentucky.

Without any specialized equipment or protective gear, the workers use diesel to start slow-burning fires to dry the tobacco leaves hanging in the barns.

“Persevering,” video, 2025, 03:16

The video features three generations of tobacco workers known as Tabacaleros. I recently went to Mexico to interview them in their rural settlement called Amapa, in the state of Nayarit. The video shows the goals and accomplishments of these men, who leave for six months at a time to work in the United States as immigrant workers. Working as farmers is one of the few legitimate ways for people in this state of Mexico to provide resources for themselves and their families. I have been living in rural Western Kentucky for the past three years, where I have photographed and interviewed immigrant tobacco workers. Through my perspective, I aim to reveal the unseen male labor crews, emphasizing their humanity and resilience that brings them back year after year.