Xàbia Municipal Archive gifts Pepe Molina Ivars 70+ years of digitized history

Last week, at the Xàbia Municipal Archive, Pepe Molina was officially presented with a digitized collection of images from his family archives. This remarkable collection includes over 12,000 photographs and videotapes, capturing more than seventy years of life in the municipality. The councillor responsible for Culture, Mavi Pérez (CPJ), handed over the hard drive containing the carefully digitized, classified, and contextualized material, a project completed over the past year.

The earliest images date back to the 1950s, with the collection continuing right up to the present day. The photographs capture scenes now lost to time, such as the Fogueres flower offering at Ermita del Calvario, the scalding and raisin procession (l’Escaldà y la Pansa), alongside iconic spots around the town that have evolved over the years. Also featured are images of the Fogueres de Sant Joan, processions, religious ceremonies, popular festivals, sporting events, everyday life, family portraits, and intimate moments that, while personal, form an important part of Xàbia’s shared memory.

For decades, the Molina brothers – Pepe and his older brother Vicent – balanced their blacksmithing work with a genuine passion for documenting local life. Driven by a desire to preserve the essence of their community’s customs and experiences, they captured thousands of unique moments with their cameras. Starting out with their father’s camera and sending photos to be developed outside the town (since local labs didn’t exist yet) their hobby grew into a spontaneous but invaluable archive that has now become an important part of the area’s cultural heritage.

Juanjo Mas, the municipal archivist, highlighted that “the Molina family collection is one of the most important we’ve received, not just because of its size, but for its emotional and social significance. Thanks to their work, we can see what Xàbia was like 70 years ago: its people, traditions, streets, and how it has evolved. It’s an invaluable visual resource for understanding the identity of Xàbia as experienced by our ancestors.”

Over the past year, Pepe Molina has worked closely with the archive team, visiting weekly to help put each photograph into context. Thanks to his memory and generosity, places, dates, faces, and stories have been identified, adding a unique documentary depth to the collection.

The Councillor for Culture, Mavi Pérez (CPJ), expressed gratitude to the Molina family for their generosity and dedication to preserving Xàbia’s history: “This collection is an invaluable legacy, not just for the archive, but for all our citizens. Thanks to the Molina brothers, we can see how much we’ve changed, how we’ve grown, and what traditions we continue to hold dear. On behalf of the local council, we want to honour this quiet, ongoing work that has left a lasting mark on our collective memory.”

The councillor also expressed special thanks to Juanjo Mas and the Municipal Archive team for their outstanding technical and personal dedication throughout this process. Their ongoing effort, professionalism, and care have been essential in preserving, organizing, and honoring this family legacy as a vital part of Xàbia’s history.

The collection has been organized both chronologically and by location, making it easily accessible for residents and visitors alike.