Photographing the Pedanías for Fundación Integra
Explore the story behind archiving Murcia’s pedanías (hamlets), documenting rural Spanish hamlets, agricultural life, and hidden coastal villages.
The Mission to Archive Murcia’s Regional Outposts
Between 2008 and 2009, I undertook an extensive photography assignment commissioned by Fundación Integra, a public foundation created by the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia to advance the regional information society and telecommunications infrastructure. The Region of Murcia is divided into 45 primary municipalities, But these larger centers include dozens of dependent hamlets, which are called “pedanías” in the region.
The city of Murcia alone includes 55 of these outlying districts. At the time, the official regional image database only featured the main 45 municipal towns, leaving the pedanías completely unrepresented. To correct this gap, a team of three photographers spent nearly a full year systematically building a visual archive of these overlooked rural communities.
Navigating Strict Guidelines Across the Coast and Interior
My specific territory spanned from the northern coastal town of San Pedro del Pinatar all the way south to Águilas, as well as most of the interior pedanías situated west of Murcia city. Covering such a vast geographic region demanded a high-volume, production-style workflow.
With a requirement to deliver at least three usable photos per pedanía on a tight schedule, waiting for ideal lighting or dramatic weather conditions simply was not an option. The assignment also came with strict editorial parameters: photographs could not feature identifiable people, trash, ruined buildings, or poorly maintained properties that might project a negative image of the locality.
Finding Authentic Character in Quiet Places
Locating a defining visual feature in every single pedanía presented a real creative test. Many of these hamlets consisted of little more than a small cluster of quiet houses without identifiable landmarks, historic monuments, or unique architectural elements. The job required exploring each area on foot, searching for subtle details, some light, or interesting angles that could represent the quiet essence of the neighborhood.
Capturing the Standout Moments of Daily Rural Life
One particularly memorable moment occurred while working through an area dominated by commercial farming. Walking past rows of sunlit agricultural greenhouses, I spotted a working tractor maneuvering between the crops inside one of the structures. Capturing that sudden glimpse of local industry provided the undisputed photo of the day. Ultimately, documenting Murcia’s pedanías demonstrated how photographic archives can preserve the authentic agricultural legacy and everyday character of rural Spain.
