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Interview No. 1011, Heriberto Martínez Díaz
Interview No. 1011, Heriberto Martínez Díaz
Combined Interviews
Mr. Martínez recalls growing up in Francisco I. Madero, Durango, México; he remembers finding out about the Bracero Program in 1953; as a bracero, he worked in California, Missouri, Montana, and Texas; he recounts how he enlisted in the program and the requirements he needed to fulfill; additionally, he describes several trips he made to contracting centers in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, and Jalisco, México; he also details his time at Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, and the medical test he had to endure; furthermore, he describes the daily activities he performed in the field, how the work …
Interview No. 994, José Ignacio Astorga Corral
Interview No. 994, José Ignacio Astorga Corral
Combined Interviews
Mr. Astorga briefly recalls his childhood and family; later, in 1955, he learned of the opportunity to work in the United States; he explains how he was able to obtain authorization to appear on the county’s list of eligible workers despite the fact that he was a minor; in order to begin the hiring process, he traveled to the contracting center in Hermosillo, Sonora, México; from there, he went through the reception center in El Centro, California, where he underwent medical examinations; as a bracero, he worked in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Michigan, and Texas, picking apples, cotton, peaches, strawberries, and …
Interview No. 1128, Jose Gamez
Interview No. 1128, Jose Gamez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Gamez briefly recalls his childhood and early adolescence; in 1942, he came to the United States illegally to work in the fields; it was while working illegally that he learned of the Bracero Program from other ranchers and workers; when he was initially recruited to work as a bracero, in 1943, neither a physical exam nor formal paperwork was required; he recalls that women and under aged boys were allowed to work as braceros if they were accompanied by adult males; his contract ended in 1945, and he was forced to go back to working illegally; in 1947, under …
Interview No. 1141, Emilio Solís Pallares
Interview No. 1141, Emilio Solís Pallares
Combined Interviews
Mr. Solís briefly recalls his childhood; after his father’s death, he began working in the fields when he was only eleven years old; he continued working in agriculture throughout his adolescence and young adulthood; in 1943, financial difficulties coupled with a shortage of work led him to the United States to work illegally; he had great difficulties while working in the U.S. because he was often caught by immigration; although by this point he had learned of the Bracero Program, he could not afford to go to Chihuahua, Chihuahua to begin the hiring process; in 1947, he was finally able …
Interview No. 1129, Manuel Gamez
Interview No. 1129, Manuel Gamez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Gamez briefly recalls his childhood and early adolescence; in 1949, when he was seventeen years old, he came into the United States illegally to work; it was while working illegally in Tornillo, Texas, that he learned of the Bracero Program; his boss at the time sent him to the processing center so that he could officially go through the hiring process and become a bracero; he continued working for that particular rancher over the next eight years; the rancher he worked for spoke Spanish, which made communicating much easier; he recalls celebrating birthdays and holidays by having special lunches …
Interview No. 1122, Jose E. Chavarría
Interview No. 1122, Jose E. Chavarría
Combined Interviews
Mr. Chavarría briefly describes his childhood; when he was very young, his father killed his mother, and he fled from home; he went to live with his grandmother, but the rest of his family soon split up; shortly thereafter, he went to work on a dairy farm where the rancher not only employed him, but treated him like a son; in 1947, he went through the hiring process and became a bracero; upon being hired, he was sent to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, where he underwent medical examinations; he details his first job picking cotton and …
Interview No. 1667, Maria Zamarron Bermudez
Interview No. 1667, Maria Zamarron Bermudez
Combined Interviews
Maria Zamarron Bermudez recalls funerals in Terlingua, Texas, she remembers the body being bathed in lemon juice, dressed, and a rosary being placed around their waist; caskets were made by hand, saints adorned the caskets and were decorated depending on age and gender; she explains the death of two mine workers that were caused by an explosion. She also describes celebrations in Terlingua, TX., were weddings, festivals, and saints days; the Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, and the parents of the groom would ask for the brides hand in marriage; wedding dresses were bought in Alpine, TX., while nice clothing …
Interview No. 1132, Nereo Heredia L.
Interview No. 1132, Nereo Heredia L.
Combined Interviews
Mr. Heredia vividly describes what his life was like growing up in Villa Escobedo, Chihuahua, México; the first time he signed up to work as a bracero was in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México; there were no physical exams of any kind, in fact, all he had to do was sign a paper; he went to work in the cotton fields of La Mesa, New Mexico; the second time he signed up for a contract was out of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, where he went through a stringent hiring process; from there, he was sent to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, …
Interview No. 1130, Ma. Julia G. Contreras
Interview No. 1130, Ma. Julia G. Contreras
Combined Interviews
Ms. Contreras briefly recounts her childhood and how she moved around quite a bit; she moved from Cananea, Sonora, México, where she was born, to Ciudad Juárez, then to Douglas, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas, before moving back to Ciudad Juárez; in July of 1950, she was hired by the Office of Populations and began working there as a clerk and typist; this office was the first stop for braceros who were about to enter the United States; she describes her job, which was to register the braceros, as well as the daily operations of the office and what some …
Interview No. 1120, Isidro H. Buso
Interview No. 1120, Isidro H. Buso
Combined Interviews
Mr. Buso briefly recalls his childhood and adolescence; in 1962, he went through the hiring process in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, and from there was sent to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; he gives a detailed description of his various jobs as a bracero, which included, picking cotton, castrating and driving cattle, and feeding hens; in addition, he also discusses housing issues, the various wages earned, the methods of payment, the length of his contracts, and one instance of racism experienced by his friend who was an African American; sometime later, he decided to become a legal resident, …
Interview No. 1138, Fernando Rodríguez
Interview No. 1138, Fernando Rodríguez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Rodríguez recalls that as a teenager, he worked at a grocery store near a ranch that employed braceros; because the braceros were not allowed to leave the ranch, he would often go and collect a list of groceries from them in order to bring them what they needed; later, in 1954, when he graduated from high school, he went into the Navy; when his tour of duty was over in 1959, he began working as a clerk and typist for Rio Vista, a processing center for the Bracero Program in Socorro, Texas; his work there was temporary and coincided …
Interview No. 1125, Eduardo De Santiago
Interview No. 1125, Eduardo De Santiago
Combined Interviews
Mr. De Santiago worked on a ranch in Zacatecas, México, prior to becoming a bracero; in 1954, when he learned of the Bracero Program, he made a list of all the people who worked with him that wanted to go to the United States as braceros; he was of course included on that list; upon beginning the hiring process in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, the braceros were asked to undress for physical examinations; they were then vaccinated and deloused; in Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, ranchers from Pecos, Texas, came to hire braceros; none of the workers wanted …
Interview No. 1137, Isidro M. Peña
Interview No. 1137, Isidro M. Peña
Combined Interviews
Mr. Peña describes his early adolescence and the various kinds of work he did; in 1957, he decided he wanted to work as a bracero; the first thing he had to do was pay someone to put his name on the county’s list of people to be called as workers; he then went to El Trocadero, a processing center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, in order to officially begin the hiring process for the program; after this, he was transported from Chihuahua to the border by train and then taken to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, where he …
Interview No. 1124, Samuel Chavira
Interview No. 1124, Samuel Chavira
Combined Interviews
Mr. Chavira briefly recalls his childhood; at the age of thirteen, he began working odd jobs wherever he could find them; for a brief time, he worked in construction; he knew of the Bracero Program because he lived in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, which was one of the programs main contracting centers; in 1950, he began the hiring process to become a bracero; he goes on to give a detailed explanation of the various phases during hiring, including his transfer to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, where he was medically examined; in addition, he describes filling out the …
Interview No. 1140, Carlos Sánchez Montoya
Interview No. 1140, Carlos Sánchez Montoya
Combined Interviews
Mr. Sánchez recalls his childhood and early adolescence; he began helping his father work in the fields when he was fourteen years old; a severe draught at that time caused his family to move from Guadalupe Victoria, Durango, México, to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; while there, he began working in construction; he explains how he learned of the Bracero Program and the hiring process he went through at the contracting center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua; from there, he was taken to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, where he was medically examined; he describes what the living conditions on the …
Interview No. 1118, Rodolfo Aranda Morales
Interview No. 1118, Rodolfo Aranda Morales
Combined Interviews
Mr. Aranda recalls that up to 10,000 braceros were hired per day in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; in Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro Texas, the braceros were separated according to which state they were from because this was thought to have a direct correlation with their skills; many farmers did not like to hire braceros from the south of México, because they did not have enough experience; in general, the braceros from the south of México earned much less than those from the north; Mr. Aranda often sent money orders to his family, but due to problems he encountered, …
Interview No. 1262, José Félix Prieto
Interview No. 1262, José Félix Prieto
Combined Interviews
Mr. Félix recalls that as a child, he would eagerly wait for his father to come home form working as a bracero; he knew at a young age that he also wanted to come to the United States to work as a bracero; when he was eighteen, he began marching in the Mexican army in order to obtain his military ID card so he could enlist as a bracero; in 1959, he went to Empalme, Sonora, México, to begin the hiring process; he describes what the center was like and how he waited twenty-one days for a contract; in addition, …
Interview No. 1136, Delia Francisca Montero De Tiscareño
Interview No. 1136, Delia Francisca Montero De Tiscareño
Combined Interviews
Ms. Montero briefly describes her childhood; when she was two years old, she and her family moved from Durango, Durango, México, to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México; she went to school in El Paso, Texas and in 1945, she graduated from high school; shortly thereafter, she began working as a clerk and typist at an American immigration office in Ciudad Juárez; her job was to help the incoming braceros fill out the necessary paper work for their contracts; she describes how the ranchers would wait for the braceros to finish filling out the papers so they could immediately take them back …
Interview No. 1123, Ismael Chavira López
Interview No. 1123, Ismael Chavira López
Combined Interviews
Mr. Chavira briefly recounts his childhood; his first paying job was as a construction worker; in 1953, he went through the hiring process in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, to become a bracero; he chronicles the entire process, which began in a rural area of Chihuahua and ended with the medical examinations at Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; in addition, he describes the various processing center facilities, the length of contracts, and the conditions under which these contracts were extended; while working as a bracero, his daily activities included irrigating and picking cotton; he describes the wages he earned, …
Interview No. 1127, Benito Fierro
Interview No. 1127, Benito Fierro
Combined Interviews
Mr. Fierro recounts his childhood and the difficulties he and his family faced; he describes the various stages of the hiring process, including the contracting center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, and the medical examinations he underwent at Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; as a bracero, his work included the following: picking and irrigating cotton crops, picking peas, harvesting lettuce, pulling sugar beets, and cleaning the fields in which they grew; he explains the different wages he received for the various jobs he performed and what he did when his contracts expired; in addition he recounts his experiences …
Interview No. 1261, Jesús Ponce De León
Interview No. 1261, Jesús Ponce De León
Combined Interviews
Summary of Interview: Mr. Ponce recalls his family, childhood, and adolescence; when he was fifteen, he quit school and began working at a factory; in 1944, the factory closed, and he decided to enlist in the Bracero Program; he goes on to describe the medical exams, including the delousing procedures he went through at the contracting center in México, Distrito Federal; from there he was transported by passenger train to Bensenville, Illinois, just outside of Chicago; he describes the living situation there as horrible; there were several cargo trucks without wheels on the floor, and inside of each one of …
Interview No. 1139, Esteban Saldaña
Interview No. 1139, Esteban Saldaña
Combined Interviews
Mr. Saldaña spent his childhood and adolescence helping his father work the land and care for the animals they owned; he married when he was only seventeen years old, and he had children shortly thereafter; when he was twenty-one years old, he stopped working for his father in order to become a bracero and make more money to support his family; he had heard of the Bracero Program through media and news advertisements; for this first contract, he went to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, which in turn took him to work in Lovington, New Mexico, for three months; he later went …
Interview No. 1121, Juan Cossio
Interview No. 1121, Juan Cossio
Combined Interviews
Mr. Cossio recounts the difficulties he faced as a child and during his adolescence; when he heard about the opportunities the Bracero Program provided, he decided to become a bracero; he recalls the hiring process and the contracting center he went through in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, as well as the procedures and medical examinations he underwent in Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; in addition, he relates his experiences living on the farms, including what they cooked and ate, what happened when someone was sick, what they did in their spare time and on weekends, the different …
Interview No. 1134, José De La Luz Mares
Interview No. 1134, José De La Luz Mares
Combined Interviews
Mr. Mares recalls being trained as a shoemaker by his father; due to financial difficulties, he had to leave his father’s shoe store to look for work elsewhere; in 1955, he began the hiring process for the Bracero Program in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; he and other braceros were transported from Chihuahua, to El Paso, Texas, in freight cars that had previously been used to carry concentrated amounts of lead and zinc; the boxcars were not cleaned prior to being used to transported the braceros; in addition, the braceros were sealed in the cars and left there for the entirety of …
Interview No. 1133, Lorenzo Maynes
Interview No. 1133, Lorenzo Maynes
Combined Interviews
Mr. Maynes recalls his childhood and early adolescence; he briefly describes what life was like for him during World War II; eventually, he became the head foreman on a farm whose primary focus was cotton; he was periodically sent to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, to pick up braceros and bring them back to the farm; oftentimes, he was responsible for hiring anywhere from 50 to 200 braceros; he explains what Rio Vista was like and how the farmers would choose which men to hire; in addition, he describes what the farm where they lived was like, …
Interview No. 1126, Manuel Enríquez Savignac
Interview No. 1126, Manuel Enríquez Savignac
Combined Interviews
Mr. Enríquez recalls his childhood and adolescent years; from the ages of fifteen to nineteen, he worked in aviation and consequently traveled often; while traveling and working, he met someone with whom he began a business partnership; together they opened a travel agency in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México; because so many of their clients were from Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, they eventually came into contact with officials from the American government; they worked out a contract through the Bureau of Employment Services to provide catering for the braceros in Chihuahua, Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez, México; consequently, they provided …
Interview No. 1131, Alvaro Hernández B.
Interview No. 1131, Alvaro Hernández B.
Combined Interviews
Mr. Hernández briefly recalls his childhood and the financial difficulties he and his family endured; he moved from Julimes, Chihuahua, to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, where he went to school up to the sixth grade, but he left school in order to go back to his hometown of Julimes to help his father work in the fields; in 1943, when he was fourteen years old, he crossed into the United States illegally; he spent a few months working in the cotton fields of Mesquite, New Mexico, and soon returned home; in 1944, he crossed again to work with the same rancher, and …
Interview No. 1657, Ismael Diaz De Leon
Interview No. 1657, Ismael Diaz De Leon
Combined Interviews
He recalls that before that he came 15 times as a bracero, that he only attended four years of school, and that first worked when he was 13 years old at a barber shop and then as a barber. He remembers that on another job he had in a hotel is where he learned about the Bracero Program since contractors stayed there, so he, friends, and other people he knew got hired. He describes the requirements for getting hired, that he went to the U.S. as a bracero between 1942 and 1944, mentions the contract centers he went to Irapuato …
Interview No. 1016, Jesús Rosales Ríos
Interview No. 1016, Jesús Rosales Ríos
Combined Interviews
Mr. Rosales remembers the Cristero Revolution from when he was four years old; he became a bracero in 1956, and recounts his work picking grapes in California and cotton in Texas; additionally, he recalls how he learned to irrigate crops; this duty became his primary job; he recounts how he was hospitalized once and had surgery paid for by his employer; furthermore, he expresses that he received good treatment from his employers, and that he is proud of having been a bracero.
Interview No. 993, Jesús Andrade Rodríguez
Interview No. 993, Jesús Andrade Rodríguez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Andrade briefly recalls his family and childhood; growing up, he and his family endured extreme economic hardships; in 1948, when he was eighteen years old, he enrolled in the Bracero Program; he describes the difficulties he went through during the hiring process as well as the humiliating medical examinations he and other braceros underwent at the reception center in Eagle Pass, Texas; as a bracero, he picked cotton in New Mexico and Texas, cleaned sugar beet fields in Montana, and he also worked in a pickle bottling factory in Michigan; he goes on to explain the daily activities on …