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Interview No. 1388, Maria Zarate
Interview No. 1388, Maria Zarate
Combined Interviews
Maria Zarate was born in Paracho, Michoacán, México. Her father worked as a bracero in the United States. At a young age her father pasted away, for this reason she started working with her brothers caring for animal and planting seeds. At an age of twenty, she married for the first time. One year later, her husband passed away. Eight years later she married a second time only to take care of her second husband’s daughters. Her second husband, Federico worked as a bracero in the United States in 1954. Ms. Zarate lasted long periods of time without her husband …
Interview No. 1419, María De Los Ángeles Luna De Robles
Interview No. 1419, María De Los Ángeles Luna De Robles
Combined Interviews
Ms. Luna de Robles discusses her family; she talks about her marriage in 1958, to Crescencio Robles; they were from the same ejido, which was how they met; she was nineteen years old, and he was twenty-two at the time; prior to their marriage, he enlisted in the bracero program, at the age of eighteen, and he continued working with the program; he went through the contracting process in Chihuahua, México; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, California, New México and Texas; he wrote letters to her and sent money about once a month; she usually …
Interview No. 1424, Feliciano Zarupe
Interview No. 1424, Feliciano Zarupe
Combined Interviews
Feliciano never went to school and from a very young age he began working, collecting resin from pine trees so it could be processed for various needs. Feliciano entered the Bracero Program in 1960 and the first part of the recruitment process, the physical examination, took place in Empalme. Then they were sent to Calexico where they were dusted against lice. Feliciano first went to Oxnard in Parque del Sol when he arrived in the United States and then was sent to Lompoc in Santa Maria county, California where he worked harvested lettuce for 45 days. A typical day began …
Interview No. 1421, Ramiro Solis
Interview No. 1421, Ramiro Solis
Combined Interviews
Ramiro Solis was born on December 28, 1922 in Tekax Yucatán, México attended school and learned to read and write, however, after his father passed away, everyone in the family had to start working. Ramiro left school to work with his father’s former Chinese countrymen who paid Ramiro $0.02 cents a row for harvesting herbs and he would earn $0.10 -$0.12 cents a day for his work. He went on to work as a roper (one who makes ropes) in Mérida, Yucatán. Then there was a decline in jobs, and the Mexican government began pushing for unemployed men to enter …
Interview No. 1414, Santa María Madera
Interview No. 1414, Santa María Madera
Combined Interviews
Mr. Madera recalls learning about the bracero program and how two hundred men were chosen from his town to enlist in Empalme, Sonora, México; in 1956, when he was twenty-two years old, he and his brother-in-law traveled to Guadalajara, Jalisco, México before finally arriving in Empalme; he describes the requirements and process he underwent, including medical exams; from there he was transported to Mexicali, Baja California, México by train; upon crossing into the United States, he was treated badly and subjected to further assessments and delousing procedures; moreover, he spent the night at a large barracks in Calexico, California before …
Interview No. 1411, Guadalupe Durán
Interview No. 1411, Guadalupe Durán
Combined Interviews
Mr. Durán briefly talks about his parents and siblings; growing up, he worked in the fields, but he eventually had to go to Sonora, México, because there was not enough work at home; while there, he picked two thousand kilograms of cotton, and he was able to obtain the necessary documents to enlist in the bracero program; he went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México; from there he was transported to Mexicali, Baja California, México and then to Calexico, California, where he was stripped, examined and deloused; he comments that he was treated badly when he crossed into …
Interview No. 1416, Antonio Nuño Gonzáles
Interview No. 1416, Antonio Nuño Gonzáles
Combined Interviews
Mr. Gonzáles talks about the bracero program as a means to achieving a better life for himself and his family, which is why he decided to enlist; to begin the process, he traveled to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he picked cotton to get the necessary papers; as part of the contracting process, he underwent medical exams, which he describes as rude, and they were much more thorough in Mexicali, Baja California, México; one of his brothers did not pass the exams because of his lungs, but he did labor in the fields of California with his eldest brother; Antonio worked …
Interview No. 1404, Manuel Aparicio
Interview No. 1404, Manuel Aparicio
Combined Interviews
Mr. Aparicio talks about lending a man money to enlist in the bracero program; when he went looking for him to collect, he saw a number of his friends, and they ultimately convinced him to join the program; he began the process during the 1950s in Zacatecas, México, where he was medically examined before being sent to Irapuato, México, where he underwent more extensive exams; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, Idaho, Texas and Wyoming, picking asparagus, beets, cotton, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, potatoes, strawberries and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp …
Interview No. 1100, Margarita Flores
Interview No. 1100, Margarita Flores
Combined Interviews
Ms. Flores briefly recalls her childhood and the financial difficulties her parents endured; Ms. Flores recalls that she and her mother were in the United States without documentation; her father went through the contracting center in Juárez, Chihuahua, México; upon being hired, he was sent to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; she and her parents were allowed to reside at Sparks Ranch, while the majority of the other braceros were transported to another camp; her mother’s primary duties on the ranch consisted of cooking for the braceros; as a bracero, her father completed one contract and labored …
Interview No. 1415, Daniel Molina
Interview No. 1415, Daniel Molina
Combined Interviews
Mr. Molina briefly talks about his family; in 1959, he decided to enlist in the bracero program, and he began the contracting process in Empalme, Sonora, México; he details the entire contracting process he underwent in México and the United States; moreover, he explains having to go to Mexicali, Baja California, México to get papers as a specialized worker and then returning to Empalme to finally obtain a contract; he was transported by train with roughly fifteen thousand other men in seventy-five box cars; they traveled for two days in extremely hot weather, and their water ran out after only …
Interview No. 1407, Roberto Martínez Cordero
Interview No. 1407, Roberto Martínez Cordero
Combined Interviews
Mr. Martínez talks about working for a company that processed tobacco prior to deciding to enlist in the bracero program; in 1959, when he was nineteen years old, he traveled to Tijuana, Baja California, México, where his sister lived, to begin the process by getting on the list of available workers; from there he went to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he was quickly examined and then transported by train to Mexicali, Baja California, México; while there, he underwent more extensive exams before arriving at the work camp in Arizona; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona and …
Interview No. 1406, María Carrillo
Interview No. 1406, María Carrillo
Combined Interviews
María Carrillo was born May 11, 1919, in New Mexico, but she was raised in Zacatecas México; she had seven siblings, two of whom were also born in the United States; her father was an agricultural worker; she grew up at the time of the Cristero War, and as a result, she was never formally educated; when she was twenty-two years old, she married; her husband served in the bracero program for a short time; she later immigrated to the United States and was eventually able to arrange legal status for her entire family.
Interview No. 1423, Ben Zapata
Interview No. 1423, Ben Zapata
Combined Interviews
Benjamin Zapata was born in 1935 in the Yucatán. In the village that Benjamin lived, they worked in in making hats and head gear. Benjamin had friends who came into the Bracero Program and convinced him to join as well. In 1958, Benjamin decided to join the Bracero Program and he went to Empalme Sonora, México to register for the Bracero Program. From there Benjamin went to Mexicali, México and then he crossed the border and traveled to San Joaquin and Tracy, California. His first job had Benjamin picking tomatoes, that contract lasted for forty-five days. At the end of …
Interview No. 1598, Felipe Pavon Munoz
Interview No. 1598, Felipe Pavon Munoz
Combined Interviews
In 1942 he saw a newspaper announcing the hiring of Mexican men, he explains in detail the negotiations that occurred between the United States and Mexico; he recalls braceros arriving to the national stadium in Mexico City; in 1944 he registered as a bracero; he details his physical examination, explaining that it consisted of a rectal exam, lice check, fumigation, a shower, blood work, and a detail inspection of their entire naked body; he remembers that once in the United States braceros were lined up and distributed out without knowledge of where they were going; he describes living in a …
Interview No. 1405, Enrique Arellano
Interview No. 1405, Enrique Arellano
Combined Interviews
Mr. Arellano talks about his family, including his parents, siblings and children; roughly two hundred men registered to enlist in the bracero program from his hometown, but only fifty were chosen; he chronicles the requirements for the contracting process, which he went through in Empalme, Sonora, México; from there, he was transported by train to Mexicali, Baja California, México, where he was stripped, examined and deloused; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Salinas, California, cutting, picking and packing carrots, celery and lettuce; he goes on to detail housing, living conditions, accommodations, provisions, duties, routines, treatment, deductions, remittances, …
Interview No. 1413, Juan Lupian
Interview No. 1413, Juan Lupian
Combined Interviews
Mr. Lupian explains that people would pass through different towns in order to sign people up for the bracero program; during the late 1940s, when he was nineteen years old, he decided to join the program; he traveled to Empalme, Sonora, México to pick cotton and obtain the necessary papers to enlist; in addition, he also went through centers in Guadalajara, Jalisco and Hermosillo, Sonora, México; from the center in Empalme he was transported to Mexicali, Baja California, México by train, and then from there to Calexico, California by bus; he continued working with the program for several years cleaning, …
Interview No. 1403, Encarnación Alamillo
Interview No. 1403, Encarnación Alamillo
Combined Interviews
Mr. Alamillo talks about his decision to enlist in the bracero program in 1958, because the season’s crops were lost due to a drought; in order to get on the list of available workers, he had to pay, but luckily he knew one of the people in charge, which helped; he went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico, with nine other men from his hometown; they were briefly examined, and he was called rather quickly, whereas others waited for up to one month; he was transported by cargo train to Mexicali, Baja California, México; although his initial contract …
Interview No. 1408, Celedonia Corral
Interview No. 1408, Celedonia Corral
Combined Interviews
Mrs. Corral talks about her family and growing up in México; she also discusses her husband, Erasmo Corral and how they married in 1941, when she was only eighteen years old; he enlisted in the bracero program and completed two contracts; she lived with her mother-in-law at the time; he picked cotton for roughly six months; it was hard for her and the children when he was gone, and they suffered greatly; he sent what little money he could, but he did not earn very much; she made clothes, paintings, candy or whatever she could sell to help supplement their …
Interview No. 1418, Porfirio Z. Rico
Interview No. 1418, Porfirio Z. Rico
Combined Interviews
Porfirio Rico was born in Jéruco Michoacán, México on September 14, 1914. He attended school until the second grade when Porfirio was taken out of school so he could learn to tend to animals and do housework and light field work. When he was about 10 or 11 years old, Porfirio worked with his grandfather, earning $.15 cents an hour. Porfirio worked in various places such as Morelia, Irapuato Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Aguascalientes in México. Porfirio heard about the Bracero Program and decided to give it a try because the work in México was becoming very hard to come by. When …
Interview No. 1409, Erasmo Corral
Interview No. 1409, Erasmo Corral
Combined Interviews
In 1943, Mr. Corral went though the contracting center in Queretaro, México to enlist in the bracero program; he was medically examined before being transferred to the United States by train; as a bracero, he worked on railroads and in cotton fields; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp sizes, living conditions, accommodations, provisions, duties, routines, treatment, payments, deductions, remittances, correspondence and recreational activities; his first contract with Western Pacific began in San Francisco, California and ended in Flanigan, Nevada; he started by working on the railroad tracks with a shovel, and he gradually progressed to a foreman’s …
Interview No. 1410, Rafael Cortez
Interview No. 1410, Rafael Cortez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Cortez talks about his family and childhood; he recalls knowing about the lists of workers eligible to enlist in the bracero program and wanting to go, but his father did not approve; when he finally agreed, Rafael traveled, by bus, with other men from his hometown to the processing center in México, Distrito Federal; many had never been in the city and were shocked; he describes the necessary paperwork, waiting for two months and how they used a system of colored coins; from there he was transported by train to the United States; many men left, because they were …
Interview No. 1412, Genaro Garza
Interview No. 1412, Genaro Garza
Combined Interviews
Mr. Garza briefly talks about his family; some of his uncles lived in the United States, and he longed to do the same; in addition, he knew of other men who had worked with the bracero program and returned with money; he did not see much of a future for himself in México and saw the program as a way to have a better life; to begin the contracting process, he traveled to México, Distrito Federal; he recounts the entire process, including the difficulties he faced, having to wait for two months and the medical exams he endured; after getting …
Interview No. 1420, Eduardo Saldaña
Interview No. 1420, Eduardo Saldaña
Combined Interviews
Eduardo was born in a town (rancho) called Ojos de Agua, located within the Greater México City urban area, in 1920. From the age of five, Eduardo worked with him father, brothers and uncles sowing and plowing in México. When he was 16, he moved to México City. In 1943 after hearing about the Bracero Program in a national ad, Eduardo took a chance to make more money and have a better opportunity through the program. Eduardo and one of his brothers came to the United States via train and were provided food during their travel, courtesy of their new …
Interview No. 1589, Bill Stone
Interview No. 1589, Bill Stone
Combined Interviews
Discusses using Mexican labor from 1954 to 1959 to pick cotton. Difficulties with Labor Department inspectors prompts family to discontinue using Mexican labor and to purchase cotton picker. Discusses sending money home for the Mexicans.
Interview No. 1602, Fred Bourland
Interview No. 1602, Fred Bourland
Combined Interviews
He remembers working on his father’s farmland; he picked cotton, soy beans, and wheat alongside Mexican workers; buses would bring in black men who worked as choppers, while white migrant workers, worked as pickers; Mexican workers were brought in when extra labor was needed, they would be subcontracted out to smaller farms; he remembers seeing 50 to 100 men working alongside one another; the Mexican workers were housed in barracks and slept in army cots; he recalls the Farm Bureau and Extension Agents in the fields, inspecting the conditions of the workers; he states that Mexican men were hard working …
Interview No. 1580, James Bourland
Interview No. 1580, James Bourland
Combined Interviews
Mr. Bourland said his father did not employed braceros on their farm, so he had no direct contact with them.
Interview No. 1582, Sam Mcneill
Interview No. 1582, Sam Mcneill
Combined Interviews
Farmer in England, Arkansas, who employed Bracero in late 1950’s. Employed 90 Mexicans. Housed in old school. Dispute over wages settled by Mexican Consulate. He learned well digging techniques. Worker purchased gun and accidently shot himself in leg.
Interview No. 1588, Wonda Lou Wonicar, Norma Emison
Interview No. 1588, Wonda Lou Wonicar, Norma Emison
Combined Interviews
Born Caraway ARK Oct 10 1939. Many family farms. Parents farmed. Went to school in Caroway grades 1-4-5-12. During school year had to chop and pick cotton. Split school term. Father employed Mexicans during 50's. Formed an association and one man would go to the border and bring large number back on Murphy farm approx. 25. Would fix up houses accommodation for them. Farm owner would do this. Mexicans were a great help on the farm. Doesn't remember other than Mexicans being contracted to the farm. Norma worked at a store in Caraway. Mexicans would buy good such as clothes …
Interview No. 1599, Dolores Atkins
Interview No. 1599, Dolores Atkins
Combined Interviews
She recalls that Parkin was a farm community and everyone worked in the fields; her parents encouraged her and her six siblings to get an education, but states that no one went to school during picking season; she explains that on Saturday families would take their children to pick cotton and would get to keep what they earned; she details the segregation in town, explaining how they ordered food from a service window marked blacks; she remembers that everyone stuck with their own race; consequently, Mexicans only came into town for liquor and food, then returned to their barracks; she …
Interview No. 1581, Harrison Locke
Interview No. 1581, Harrison Locke
Combined Interviews
African-American farmer. No braceros on his farm but he remember them in tour on plantations. Machines just beginning to come in. became a principal of school, taught for a years. Taught 56- 62. Remember 1st cotton picker. Describe conditions in farm. Discussing segregation. What’s not picking as much cotton. Mercanization people out of the area to Midwestern cities. Rice area. Also stopped Mexican migrant worker. Discusses the importance of training. College as UA-PB. Workeron the farm as a kid. Father Abb Locke, mother Rubby Locke; 3 younger brothers. Late 1940's, early 1950’s no machines. They had houses on the farm …