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University of Texas at El Paso

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Articles 421 - 450 of 1937

Full-Text Articles in History

Interview No. 1329, Cándido Alarcón Jan 2008

Interview No. 1329, Cándido Alarcón

Combined Interviews

Mr. Alarcón very briefly discusses his family and childhood; he learned about the bracero program through his friends; when he was roughly twenty-six years old, he decided to join the program in order to give his wife and daughter a better life; he explains that each town had a raffle to see who would travel to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México, in order to enlist; from there he traveled to Calexico, California, where he was stripped naked and medically examined before being deloused; he describes the process as humiliating, because he was treated like an animal; moreover, he …

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Interview No. 1344, Jesús Gallegos Jan 2008

Interview No. 1344, Jesús Gallegos

Combined Interviews

Mr. Gallegos recalls what it was like growing up in his hometown of Ecuandureo, Michoacán, México; when he was sixteen years old, he moved from Sinaloa to Sonora, México, to work; while there, he learned about the bracero program, because many men worked there to obtain papers for the workers’ lists in Empalme, Sonora; in 1961, he acquired the necessary documents, but he was too young and gave it away; the following year, he was able to go to the contracting center in Empalme, where he waited for three weeks to be called; he recounts how difficult it was there; …

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Interview No. 1383, Jesus G. Varela Jan 2008

Interview No. 1383, Jesus G. Varela

Combined Interviews

Mr. Varela started working with his father doing agricultural work and caring for animals. He got a job with a friend of his father learning carpentry and blacksmithing earning $0.40 per week. Mr. Varela found out about the bracero program listening to the radio in the town of Guadalupe Victoria. He traveled to Durango, Mexico to get hired in the bracero program when he was eighteen. With only $200 pesos Varela traveled on train to Guanajuato, Mexico. The next destination was El Paso, Texas where the authorities made another revision before continuing the journey to Caldwell, Idaho. Varela worked picking …

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Interview No. 1385, Alberto Vásquez Rojas Jan 2008

Interview No. 1385, Alberto Vásquez Rojas

Combined Interviews

Mr. Vásquez started working in the fields at a very young age. Vásquez found out about the bracero program and traveled to Empalme, Sonora to get hired. The next stop of the journey was Calexico Mexicali. Finally, Vásquez started work picking beets and oranges in Riverside, California. In 1957, Vásquez returned to Arizona as a bracero to pick cotton, lettuce, carrots and other vegetables. He received the American residency with the help of the company he worked with, called J. Wood Company. Mr. Vásquez worked thirty-one years with the same company. He received the foreman position and earned a salary …

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Interview No. 1380, Cecilio V. Rodriguez Jan 2008

Interview No. 1380, Cecilio V. Rodriguez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Rodriguez worked with his father picking cotton, corn, beans, and peanuts when he was a child. Rodriguez obtained a letter to get hired in the bracero program when he was in Obregon, Sonora. At the age of eighteen, he entered to the United States through Nogales. He picked cotton in Avondale, Arizona and returned to work as a bracero the following year in Stockton, California. Rodriguez worked picking tomatoes in Stockton and earned a salary of $8.00 per week. He was hired for the last time in 1962 in San Benito, California and worked picking tomatoes for Heinz Company. …

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Interview No. 1342, Jose M. Espinoza Jan 2008

Interview No. 1342, Jose M. Espinoza

Combined Interviews

Mr. Espinoza recalls the harsh conditions he experienced while growing up in Coalcomán, Michoacán; at an early age he started working with his parents harvesting corn and beans; Mr. Espinoza became a Bracero in the year of 1957, he came to the United States to work along with 3 home town friends; he remembers traveling by train along with many others, Mr. Espinoza recalls getting stripped of his clothes and fumigated in Caléxico, California; Mr. Espinoza remembers having some of his personal belongings taken away because they were not allowed to bring anything besides the clothes they had on; Mr. …

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Interview No. 1345, Jesús García Estrada Jan 2008

Interview No. 1345, Jesús García Estrada

Combined Interviews

Mr. García briefly recounts his childhood; when he was roughly fourteen years old, he moved to Bácum, Sonora, México, which was where he learned about the bracero program; several men picked cotton there in order to obtain papers for the workers’ lists in Empalme, Sonora; consequently, he did the same, and he details the process he underwent while there, including the humiliation of being stripped and medically examined; after that, he and other braceros were given lunch and transported by train to Mexicali, Baja California, México; as they were about to arrive, the train slowed, and people offered them milk …

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Interview No. 1348, Isidro Herrera Ortega Jan 2008

Interview No. 1348, Isidro Herrera Ortega

Combined Interviews

Mr. Herrera talks about his hometown and working in agriculture and with livestock while growing up; he knew about the bracero program when it first started in the early 1940s; a number of men joined and returned, including his father and some of his uncles; Isidro decided to follow in their footsteps and enlisted in 1955 with the hopes of having a better life; to begin the contracting process, he traveled by bus to Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; later, he also went through the center in Empalme, Sonora, México; the center in Irapuato was situated on an old military camp, and …

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Interview No. 1351, Pedro L. Lechuga Jan 2008

Interview No. 1351, Pedro L. Lechuga

Combined Interviews

Mr. Lechuga briefly mentions his family; he recalls hearing rumors about men earning a lot of money in the United States; in 1952, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; although his wife was against it, she knew he had to leave; he went through the center in Chihuahua, México, and he describes the necessary documents and medical exams he underwent; when crossing the border in El Paso, Texas, he endured further assessments; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas cleaning, pruning and picking beets, cotton, cucumber and green …

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Interview No. 1352, Alfredo López Jan 2008

Interview No. 1352, Alfredo López

Combined Interviews

Mr. López talks about his decision to enlist in the bracero program in 1958; in addition, he describes the process he went through to get the necessary paperwork before traveling to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México; he estimates that there were between fifteen and twenty thousand men processed daily; they were organized by lists according to states; from there he was transported to Calexico, California, where he was medically examined and deloused; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona and California cleaning, pruning, picking and packing cotton, lemon, lettuce, tomato and other citrus crops; he …

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Interview No. 1353, Venustiano Machado Jan 2008

Interview No. 1353, Venustiano Machado

Combined Interviews

Mr. Machado talks about his family and the death of his father when he was a boy; by the time he was fifteen, he was working in the United States; during the early 1950s, he put himself on the list of available workers in Sinaloa, México; he describes the necessary requirements and process he underwent; moreover, he explains that he had to pay ten pesos for someone to fill out the papers, because he was illiterate; once he crossed into the United States, he was stripped and medically examined; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Santa Ana, …

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Interview No. 1355, Zenon Martínez Banda Jan 2008

Interview No. 1355, Zenon Martínez Banda

Combined Interviews

Mr. Martínez recalls hearing people talk favorably about the bracero program and wanting to enlist; while in his early twenties, he decided to join the bracero program; he describes the requirements and necessary paperwork to enlist; additionally, he recounts going through the center in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México and entering the United States through Hidalgo, Texas; he also went through the center in Chihuahua and Sonora, México and entered through El Paso, Texas and Nogales, Arizona, respectively; Zenon also describes the medical exams and fumigation procedures he underwent; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, California and …

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Interview No. 1365, Efrén Pacheco A. Jan 2008

Interview No. 1365, Efrén Pacheco A.

Combined Interviews

Mr. Pacheco briefly talks about his family; in 1956, when he was twenty-one, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he went through the contracting center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, where he waited for roughly ten days; he paid to sleep in a hotel during that time; those who did not have money slept outside; the men were loaded into trains without seats and transported to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México; they were forced to stand, and they did not stop for restroom breaks throughout the duration of the trip; once they arrived at the border, they had to stand …

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Interview No. 1367, Ana María Perla Jan 2008

Interview No. 1367, Ana María Perla

Combined Interviews

Mrs. Perla talks about her family and the difficult financial situation they faced, which led to her father’s decision to enlist in the bracero program; she remembers getting letters from him to let the family know how he was doing and how much he missed them; her mother even took a family portrait to send to him; Ana was especially excited, because she was able to get a new dress for the occasion; when he returned home, between contracts, he made dolls out of old rags for her to play with; he also enjoyed cooking for the family and making …

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Interview No. 1370, Jaime Rivas Jan 2008

Interview No. 1370, Jaime Rivas

Combined Interviews

Mr. Rivas briefly talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; after completing his military service in 1959, he heard about the bracero program contracting in Empalme, Sonora, México, and he went with his brother; he explains that they waited for one month to pick the cotton; they needed to obtain papers to enlist, but they did not have any more money and had to leave; they paid three hundred pesos to get on another list of available workers in Durango, and they went though the contracting center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; several thousand men were …

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Interview No. 1371, Lauro Rivas Jan 2008

Interview No. 1371, Lauro Rivas

Combined Interviews

Mr. Rivas recalls hearing people talk about the bracero program when he was young; he had great illusions of coming to the United States and having a better life; in 1957, when he was seventeen years old, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he initially went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México, but he was unable to obtain a contract; later that same year, he went through the center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; as part of the process, he had to present proof of military service, and he also endured medical exams, which included blood samples …

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Interview No. 1372, Nicolás Rodríguez Jan 2008

Interview No. 1372, Nicolás Rodríguez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Rodríguez briefly talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; he recalls recruiters for the bracero program going to Culiacán, Sinaloa, México and giving out papers to enlist in Empalme, Sonora, México; at the time, he had a wife and children to support, and he decided to join the program; he describes the entire process he underwent in Empalme, including necessary documents, waiting for fifteen days and being stripped and medically examined; from there he was sent to the border at Calexico, California by train, where he endured further exams, including x-rays, injections and several …

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Interview No. 1379, Francisco Uribe Ramos Jan 2008

Interview No. 1379, Francisco Uribe Ramos

Combined Interviews

Mr. Uribe traveled to Empalme to get hired in the bracero program. He brought with him his Mexican military ID and worked as a bracero until he was twenty-five. The first place where he worked was Gila Bend, Arizona and in Blythe, California picking cotton. The daily salary was $0.02 per pound, reaching $3.00 to $4.50 per day. During that time Uribe paid $15.00 for food. Mr. Uribe returned to the United States and worked without documentation in Avondale until a Border Patrol found him and sent him to jail in Phoenix. Uribe was later deported to Nogales. Years later, …

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Interview No. 1384, Lucio Vargas Jan 2008

Interview No. 1384, Lucio Vargas

Combined Interviews

Mr. Vargas began to work since he was eight years old with his father in the fields and taking care of animals. Mr. Vargas worked in the construction of the Panamerican highway trying to earn enough money for his family and himself. He worked without documentation in the United States when he was eighteen. At the age of twenty-three he heard about the bracero program and was hired in Juarez. At the same age, he married in Mexico and had a family of four daughters and four sons. Vargas traveled to El Paso, Texas, and was hired at Fort Bliss. …

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Interview No. 1386, Jose S. Velazquez Jan 2008

Interview No. 1386, Jose S. Velazquez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Velazquez managed to fake his age by saying he was eighteen years old in order to be hired in the bracero program. His first destination was a ranch in Colorado, in which he and other four braceros worked picking cotton; the treatment of his bosses was excellent. He returned as a bracero and worked in Manteca, California and Artesia, New Mexico. Mr. Velazquez returned without documentation to the United States and worked in the states of Texas and Chicago. He worked without documentation in the United States for approximately twenty years. Velazquez worked in the metal casting over two …

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Interview No. 1595, Delia A. Pompa Nunez Jan 2008

Interview No. 1595, Delia A. Pompa Nunez

Combined Interviews

Ms. Pompa talks about living in Mexico with her mother while her father, Gildardo Espinoza Pompa, worked as a bracero in the United States; he labored in the fields of Arizona, California, Idaho, Texas and Wyoming picking various crops; her parents began filling out papers to immigrate to the United States in 1950, before Delia was born; while he was gone, her mother worked as primary school teacher; he often sent money by telegram, which her mother cashed at a local bank; in addition, he sent material, thread and needles to his wife for her sewing; once, when he returned …

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Interview No. 1347, Alejandro Hernández Jan 2008

Interview No. 1347, Alejandro Hernández

Combined Interviews

Mr. Hernández talks about his family and how much he suffered growing up; he initially learned about the bracero program through the radio; in 1950, he and a friend went to Chihuahua, México to earn money picking cotton; from there they went to the contracting center in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, which was situated in an abandoned racetrack; among the thousands waiting, they found some friends that were already on a list of workers; two men from the list were missing and they easily took their place; Alejandro describes crossing into El Paso, Texas, where he was stripped, examined and …

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Interview No. 1369, Alfonso Ramirez Jan 2008

Interview No. 1369, Alfonso Ramirez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Ramírez briefly talks about his family and what his life was like growing up on an ejido; when he was thirteen years old, he began working for a railroad company in Chihuahua, México; he also continued laboring in the fields and caring for the animals on the ejido; shortly after, his father enlisted in the bracero program and completed roughly six contracts in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas cleaning, pruning and picking beets and lettuce; in 1964, during the last year of the program, Alfonso also joined the program; he describes going through the contracting process in …

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Interview No. 1373, Alfonso Romero Hernández Jan 2008

Interview No. 1373, Alfonso Romero Hernández

Combined Interviews

Mr. Hernández briefly talks about his family; in 1958, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he submitted his birth certificate and proof of military service in order to put himself on the local list of available workers; as part of the contracting process, he was stripped, medically examined and vaccinated; as a bracero, he completed four contracts and labored in the fields of Colorado and New México cleaning, pruning and picking beets and cotton; he goes on to detail the various worksites, housing, provisions, duties and remittances; while working in the beet fields of Greeley, Colorado, he had …

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Interview No. 1331, Bernabé Álvarez Díaz Jan 2008

Interview No. 1331, Bernabé Álvarez Díaz

Combined Interviews

Mr. Álvarez talks about his family and childhood; in 1958, he paid to get his name on the list of eligible workers for the bracero program in Empalme, Sonora, México, but he was only cheated out of his money; later, in 1961, he paid again to get his name on the list, and five days later, he obtained a contract; consequently, he underwent rigorous medical exams while there; he comments that between the first and second time he went to Empalme, the city had grown tremendously, because thousands of people had to spend money while they were waiting there; as …

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Interview No. 1594, Juanita Parra Jan 2008

Interview No. 1594, Juanita Parra

Combined Interviews

Ms. Parra discusses her family and her mother in particular; while picking crops in the United States, she was often caught and sent back to Mexico, which was especially traumatic; she could hear the bullets flying by as she ran away; her children hid in holes she previously dug, and she would come back for them the following day; she insisted on working, because she was trying to save enough money to begin the process for legal residency for herself and seven children; her sister’s husband was a successful businessman in Mexico, and she asked his brother to marry her; …

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Interview No. 1596, Elio J. Pompa Jan 2008

Interview No. 1596, Elio J. Pompa

Combined Interviews

Mr. Pompa briefly talks about his father’s work with the bracero program; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas; in 1958, when Elio was roughly two and a half years old, the family immigrated to the United States; he remembers they traveled seasonally with other families and groups of braceros; by the time he was five years old, he was working in the fields with women and other children; his father regularly labored in a different field and on occasion in a different camp altogether; Elio explains that in Casa Grande, Arizona …

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Interview No. 1366, Antonio H. Pérez Herrera Jan 2008

Interview No. 1366, Antonio H. Pérez Herrera

Combined Interviews

Mr. Pérez recalls his brother working as a bracero and being fascinated when he returned home with new clothes and a radio; Antonio later married at the age of twenty; he taught for a while but did not make very much money, which is why he decided to enlist as a bracero in 1964; in order to get on the list of available workers, he had to pay two hundred pesos; he explains that the fee was imposed by the person making the list, not the government; once on the list, he traveled to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, …

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Interview No. 1358, Valentín Murillo Ortiz Jan 2008

Interview No. 1358, Valentín Murillo Ortiz

Combined Interviews

Mr. Murillo briefly talks about his family and what life was like growing up on an ejido; in 1955, he decided to enlist in the bracero program and went through the contracting center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; he recalls the entire process, including lists of eligible workers, waiting times, and transportation to and from the center; in addition, he mentions going through centers in Empalme, Sonora and Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; he was also briefly examined at the centers and again, in more detail, at the border; although he suffered greatly during processing, once he began working in the United …

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Interview No. 1375, Francisco Sáenz Jan 2008

Interview No. 1375, Francisco Sáenz

Combined Interviews

Mr. Sáenz talks about growing up on a ranch with his family, and he shares several stories about his life in México; in 1951, he married, and he started a family soon after; a few years later, in 1956, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México and recounts the entire process, including the various requirements and long waiting times; from there he traveled by train to the border in Mexicali, Baja California, México, where he was stripped, examined and deloused, which he describes as very aggressive; as a bracero, …

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