"Món gitano" is the first photographic project that Colita tackled professionally, dating from 1962-1963. The artist received the commission through her friend and mentor Paco Rebés to locate Romani extras for the film Los Tarantos (Francisco Rovira Beleta, 1963).
The commission led Colita into the Gypsy settlements of Montjuïc and Somorrostro, two clearly differentiated areas of the urban geography of that pre-Olympic Barcelona. Somorrostro, located by the sea, contrasts with the steep slopes of the narrow alleys of Montjuïc mountain. The people of the settlements share the same way of life despite the misery surrounding them: joy, celebration, dance and song overflow at every corner, at every moment.
From this early work, Colita achieves a direct and authentic connection with the inhabitants of those settlements, who pose with complete naturalness. While doing this work, Colita met some figures who, over the years, would become renowned as great figures of flamenco, such as the dancer La Singla or the singer José Menese. Special mention goes to the photographs devoted to children, whose expressive gazes and faces are masterfully captured by Colita in the everyday life of their games, at flamenco festivals, and on outings around the city.
Despite her youth, Colita manages to turn this commission into a refined graphic study that documents the reality of the Gypsy settlements where flamenco was naturally developing in Barcelona in the early 1960s.