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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 30 of 71
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Interview No. 1464, Silbano Robledo
Interview No. 1464, Silbano Robledo
Combined Interviews
Silbano Robledo was very tired of working in his town from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm without a good salary. After he got married, he started a small business selling peanuts. Mr. Robledo traveled to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico to get hired as a bracero; He worked in El Valle picking cotton and then traveled to La Mesa de Lobos and worked doing the same job. He worked as a bracero for three years until 1959. He worked from twelve-hour days with a salary of $ 7.00 dollars per day. Robledo lived with his co-workers and they all together bought …
Interview No. 1438, Sebastián Ruíz Ávila
Interview No. 1438, Sebastián Ruíz Ávila
Combined Interviews
Sebastian Ruíz Ávila lived there up until his late teens. He worked as baker helper in Matamores until he learned about the braceros. He worked at Lamesa, Texas. He was able to help his family back in México by working in the cotton fields everyday. His payment was based on the amount of cotton he would pick up. He worked 6 years as a bracero for the same person. Mr. Ruíz didn’t know English during his time working as a bracero. After having a family in Mexico, Mr. Ruíz stayed there working as a brick-maker. Then, he became a politician, …
Interview No. 1474, Jesus J. Ibarra Huerta
Interview No. 1474, Jesus J. Ibarra Huerta
Combined Interviews
Mr. Ibarra worked as a farmer since he was young. He traveled to Monterrey, Mexico to get hired as a bracero and then to El Paso del Aguila, Texas. Ibarra worked for the first time picking cotton in Laredo, Texas. He renewed his contract three consecutive times and worked in Bryan, Mission, McAllen and Mandy Texas. Ibarra worked in six different cities around Texas in 1957 and 1958. He renewed his contract and worked for eight months picking beetroot in Bay City, Michigan. He worked as a bracero for the last time in 1964. He got his American residency thanks …
Interview No. 1471, José Tello
Interview No. 1471, José Tello
Combined Interviews
Mr. Tello briefly recalls his childhood and how it was growing up in the ranch he lived in; while working in the ranch he heard about the Bracero Program and traveled to the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, where the processing center was; he explains that the process was fairly easy for him and that there weren’t many requirements or medical examinations; he recalls crossing the border at Laredo, Texas; as a bracero he completed several contracts picking cotton and radish in the states of Texas, California, and Arkansas; he briefly describes the living and working conditions at the …
Interview No. 1466, Antonio Garcia Delgado
Interview No. 1466, Antonio Garcia Delgado
Combined Interviews
Antonio Garcia Delgado worked picking pumpkins since he was a child. He traveled to Monterey, Mexico with his father and both were hired to work as braceros. Garcia worked picking cotton in Santa Rosa, Texas. He renewed his contract and worked in Mumford, Texas. Garcia never knew how much money he earned during that time because his father collected his checks. Garcia collected around two hundred and twenty pounds of cotton per day. Garcia traveled with his wife to San Antonio, Texas and worked without documents He feels proud because he became an American Citizen.
Interview No. 1469, Jose Mata Alvarez
Interview No. 1469, Jose Mata Alvarez
Combined Interviews
Jose Mata Alvarez started working at a very young age. He traveled to Tamaulipas, Mexico to get hired as a bracero for the first time. In 1960 he worked in Texas and in 1961 he moved to California. Mata worked picking beetroot and cleaning beans. He renewed his contract and worked for the last time as a bracero in 1964 in Denver, Colorado. He also worked picking grapes and lemon. Sometime, he worked six days a week and more than eight hours per day. The salary was based on the quantity not on the hours worked per day. He was …
Interview No. 1467, Ramón Gil
Interview No. 1467, Ramón Gil
Combined Interviews
Ramón Gil worked as a bracero at Salt Pacific in Sacramento, California. Gil organized the material for the railroad for six months, then he moved to Tampico, Mexico. In Tamaulipas, he worked in the Mexican oil business and later he moved to Buffalo, New York, where he got married and started a family. As a bracero, he was paid every 15 days; his wage was $8.16 per hour. Gil had only one bad experience as a bracero, they were supposed to have a savings account at Wells Fargo, but he has never seen a penny of that money.
Interview No. 1468, Rafael Gonzalez M.
Interview No. 1468, Rafael Gonzalez M.
Combined Interviews
Mr. González talks about his childhood and growing up working in the mines since a young age; in 1950 he moves to the city of Nava in México, close to the border, where he finds out about the Bracero Program; he enlists and goes through the hiring process; furthermore, he mentions the hiring center, the requisites, and the medical examinations they went through; upon crossing he worked in the cotton fields, as well as in chard, lettuce, and beet root fields, in different ranches of the state of Texas; besides of the working conditions, he describes the living conditions, the …
Interview No. 1470, Cipriano Romero
Interview No. 1470, Cipriano Romero
Combined Interviews
Cipriano Romero worked picking cotton since he was ten years old. He traveled to Monterrey, Nuevo León, México to get hired in the bracero program. In 1956, Romero started working picking cotton in Helena, Arkansas. He renewed his contract and worked in Stockton, California. Romero had his first child at 22 years old in Arkansas. The salary was between $1.55 and $2.550 per hundred pounds of cotton. He worked as many hours as he could five days a week. Romero never had problems with the food or the housing provided in the different places where he worked. Romero remembered that …
Interview No. 1465, Asención Flores
Interview No. 1465, Asención Flores
Combined Interviews
Asención Flores Saldaña started working when he was ten years old. He heard about the Bracero Program when he was in Jalisco. Flores was hired as a bracero in Empalme, Sonora. In 1926, he worked as a bracero for three months in California. In 1929, he was hired again as a bracero and worked picking cotton in Pecos. Flores only worked three days in Pecos because the weather was very bad. Flores renewed his contract and worked in Soledad picking tomatoes. He worked six days per week and sometimes all week. The salary was $12.00 per day, but he paid …
Interview No. 1462, Fabian Landaverde S.
Interview No. 1462, Fabian Landaverde S.
Combined Interviews
Mr. Landaverde briefly remembers his childhood talking about his hometown, and about playing and working in the lands along with his father; before he was a bracero, he entered the United States in 1951 to work in the railroad tracks in Colorado; in 1955, Mr. Landaverde, who was already married, went through the hiring process to become a bracero; he recalls going through the centers in Monterrey and El Paso, Texas; in addition, he explains that, because of his little knowledge in English, he helped as a translator in one of the centers; he also describes the hiring process where …
Interview No. 1460, Ramon García
Interview No. 1460, Ramon García
Combined Interviews
Mr. García mentions his childhood and how difficult it was when his parents separated; he and his siblings had to work to support their family when they were only children; he crossed illegally at the age of fifteen to work in the U.S.; when he was eighteen he decided to enlist in the bracero program and went to the contracting center in Monterrey, Nuevo León; he remembers the entire process, including the waiting times, the amount of people, and the harsh conditions; he recalls the medical exams he went through; after being hired he was sent to Arkansas to the …
Interview No. 1463, Juventino Muñoz P.
Interview No. 1463, Juventino Muñoz P.
Combined Interviews
Mr. Muñoz briefly recalls his family and childhood; he remembers his family living under good conditions having lands and animals; when he was around 12 years old his family lost everything and he had to quit school in order to work in the fields; he served in the Mexican military until he became a bracero in June of 1963; Mr. Muñoz recalls the entire process, including going through centers in Piedras Negras and Mexicali; in addition, he mentions going through medical examinations; as a bracero he worked in the cucumber fields in Michigan and then he worked on the lemon …
Interview No. 1459, Jesus T. Castilleda
Interview No. 1459, Jesus T. Castilleda
Combined Interviews
Mr. Castilleda briefly recalls his childhood and working in agriculture with his family; he crossed the border to work illegally in the cotton fields with his father when he was ten or twelve years old; he remembers that his uncles came as braceros and as soon as he turned eighteen he enlisted in the city of Monterrey; after enlisting, he went through contracting centers in Piedras Negras and Hidalgo, Texas; he remembers the medical exams they were put through; he worked in places like La Mesa and Big Springs, Texas, as well as in Tennessee and Arkansas, mainly on cotton …
Interview No. 1461, Marcelino Gonzalez D.
Interview No. 1461, Marcelino Gonzalez D.
Combined Interviews
Mr. Gonzalez talks about his hometown and how, despite the economic difficulties, he enjoyed his childhood; he describes his schooling and that when he was studying he wanted to come to the united States to work; around the year of 1954, Mr. Gonzalez went through the hiring process to become a bracero; he mentions going through the hiring center of Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; he describes the embarrassment of going through physical medical exams, where they were stripped and examined; as a bracero, Mr. Gonzalez remembers mainly working in the cotton, onion, and lettuce fields of El Paso, Plainview and …
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. 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. 1436, Félix Flores Juan
Interview No. 1436, Félix Flores Juan
Combined Interviews
Mr. Flores describes what life was like when he was growing up and working with his father as a fisherman; he recalls men coming to town to recruit people for the bracero program; later, when he married, there were no more fish, which prompted him to enlist in the bracero program; he took a boat off the island and then took a bus with a group of men to Empalme, Sonora, México; as a bracero, he worked in the fields of Texas, picking and packing various crops; he goes on to detail housing, provisions, duties, treatment, contract renewals, payment, remittances, …
Interview No. 1457, Custodio Navarrete Cárdenas
Interview No. 1457, Custodio Navarrete Cárdenas
Combined Interviews
Custodio Navarrete Cardeas worked with his father caring for animals in the field. Navarrete was hired as a bracero in 1961. He traveled to Calexico in order to know his future work place. The first city where Navarrete worked was in King City, California cutting lettuce and carrots. Navarrete lived with all the other workers close to the work place. He played cards in his free time with other workers, sometimes he won money but sometimes lost the check. Mr. Navarrete went back to Mexico after his contract. Navarrete was shot and was not able to return to work as …
Interview No. 1456, Julio Valentín May May
Interview No. 1456, Julio Valentín May May
Combined Interviews
Mr. May talks about growing up in a poor town and working to maintain an ejido; one of his older brothers enlisted in the bracero program and encouraged him to do the same; during the early sixties, Julio could not find work, and he had a wife and daughter to support; ultimately, he decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps and enrolled in the program; the names of eligible workers were printed in the newspaper, which he explains is how he knew when to go to the contracting center; he describes going to Empalme, Sonora, México, and the difficulties …
Interview No. 1427, Alonso Ayala
Interview No. 1427, Alonso Ayala
Combined Interviews
Mr. Ayala talks about his family and what life was like growing up; for a time, he worked on a finca, where he earned eight pesos for an eight to ten hour day, which was not enough to survive; he compares such work to slavery; after completing his military service when he was roughly nineteen years old, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he went through contracting centers in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, and Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; as a bracero, he worked in the fields of California, Montana and Texas, picking beets, cantaloupe, cotton, lettuce and strawberries; he …
Interview No. 1448, Isidro De Jesus Perez Ramos
Interview No. 1448, Isidro De Jesus Perez Ramos
Combined Interviews
Isidro Perez lived with his grandparents and completed third grade. He started working when his grandfather died. In 1960, Mr. Perez traveled to Empalme, Sonora to be hired as a bracero but he did not started working until 1962, picking cotton in El Centro, California. He returned to work as a bracero in Anaheim in the orange fields. He renewed his contract for the last time and worked in Stockton picking cucumber and tomatoes. Perez remembered that one time he became ill and his boss took him to the hospital in Anaheim. Perez made a lot of friends while he …
Interview No. 1449, Delfina Perez Reyes
Interview No. 1449, Delfina Perez Reyes
Combined Interviews
Delfina Perez Reyes lived with her parents and his sister in San Ixtlahuaca, Oaxaca, México. Her parents died when she was twelve years old. Miss Perez moved in with her grandparents when her parents died. Delfina was married when she was sixteen years old and moved to live with the parents of her husband. Her husband worked as a bracero in the United States while Mrs. Perez took care of his three sons. Her sons felt very sad because his father was not with them. They found a better life with more opportunities for all her family thanks to the …
Interview No. 1446, Manuel Pacheco Galan
Interview No. 1446, Manuel Pacheco Galan
Combined Interviews
Manuel Pacheco Galan was born in San Pedro Ixtlahuacan, Oaxaca, México. He started working in the field at the age of twelve. Pacheco was married in 1954, and two years later he was hired as a bracero. The first place Pacheco worked in the bracero program was Calexico, California picking and cleaning lettuce. Then, he traveled to San Diego, California to work picking tomatoes. He renewed his contract again and traveled to Oxnard, California and worked picking lemons and tomatoes. Pacheco returned to México, but was hired again and traveled to San Antonio, Texas to pick cotton. Pacheco bought a …
Interview No. 1452, Gustavo Eloy Reyes Rodríguez
Interview No. 1452, Gustavo Eloy Reyes Rodríguez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Reyes talks about his family and what it was like growing up on an ejido; as a teenager he had heard about men coming to work in the United States as braceros and how well it had gone for them; in 1960, he paid the one hundred pesos necessary to get proper documentation to enlist in the bracero program; he traveled by train to Empalme, Sonora, México, where at least five hundred men were processed on a daily basis; as part of the contracting process, he underwent medical exams; upon arriving in Calexico, California, on top of being …
Interview No. 1433, Imelda Díaz Pacheco
Interview No. 1433, Imelda Díaz Pacheco
Combined Interviews
Ms. Díaz briefly describes her family; in 1955, at the age of fifteen, she married Ausencio Medina López; she talks about Ausencio and how during their courtship they did not actually speak to each other; everything took place through their parents; after they married, they went to live with his parents; she stayed at home with her mother-in-law to attend to the household chores, and he worked with his father in the fields; a year later, economic necessity drove Ausencio to enlist in the bracero program at the request of his wife and father; he served in the bracero program …
Interview No. 1444, Delfino Alfredo Muñoz Pacheco
Interview No. 1444, Delfino Alfredo Muñoz Pacheco
Combined Interviews
Mr. Muñoz very briefly discusses his family and childhood; He learned about the bracero program when he was roughly twenty years old, he decided to join the program in order to earn a better wage; He explains that he traveled to Monterrey in order to get enlisted in the program, and obtained the job in Texas Valley picking cotton, later he moved to Arkansas to do the same thing. Mr. Muñoz explains how the working conditions changed because of the different weather in each city, Texas has very high temperatures and Arkansas has a cooler weather, which makes it easier …
Interview No. 1450, Onesimo Santiago Ramos Escobar
Interview No. 1450, Onesimo Santiago Ramos Escobar
Combined Interviews
Onésimo Santiago Ramos Escobar heard about the bracero program when he was twelve years old; Escobar was hired as a bracero in 1958 and traveled to El Valle Imperial. Escobar worked picking lettuce and cotton for one year. Escobar worked until 1959 in el Valle Imperial. He renewed his contract and worked in Stockton, California picking asparagus, potatoes and vegetables. He had a salary of $0.12 cents per sack of onion and $0.03 cents per sack of potato. His bosses treated him well; also the places where they slept and ate were good. He feels very happy because with the …
Interview No. 1441, José Medina Torres
Interview No. 1441, José Medina Torres
Combined Interviews
Mr. Medina talks about his father and what his life was like growing up; he knew about the bracero program because, his brother-in-law and several men from town joined in the midforties; José decided to enlist in 1955, and he went to the contracting center in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, with a group of thirty other men; he briefly describes waiting in lines at the center while getting processed; in addition, he went though centers in Empalme, Sonora, México, and Distrito Federal, México; he also mentions that in Empalme, he paid a coyote four hundred pesos for a contract; as …
Interview No. 1451, Gabriel Ramos Ibañez
Interview No. 1451, Gabriel Ramos Ibañez
Combined Interviews
Gabriel Ramos Ibáñez started working since he was seven years old; He heard about the bracero program when he was twenty six years old; He started working in Arizona for two years watering lettuce and vegetables; he traveled to Manteca, California and picked peaches, nuts and tomatoes. He renewed his contract and worked in Bythe, Arizona; He also traveled to Yuma, Arizona and worked picking lettuce. He bought clothes and sent money to his wife every time he could; Ramos felt very satisfied with his job and the salary he received while he worked as a bracero it helped to …