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- University of Texas at El Paso. Institute of Oral History—interviews. (873)
- Oral History (587)
- Bracero (559)
- Labor History (556)
- University of Texas at El Paso. Institute of Oral History--interviews (556)
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Articles 391 - 420 of 1759
Full-Text Articles in History
Interview No. 1076, Luis Estrada E.
Interview No. 1076, Luis Estrada E.
Combined Interviews
Mr. Estrada explains that the year after he was born, his father, Miguel, enlisted in the bracero program; Luis recalls his father leaving for the United States; the family went to the bus station in town that was three hours away; he would not let go of his father, which he knows made him feel bad; his father left in order to find better opportunities for his children; Miguel traveled by bus from Michoacán to Sonora, México, with his brother, where they suffered greatly to get the necessary papers to enlist; his brother regretted ever going, because they endured so …
Interview No. 1066, Fortino Covarrubias
Interview No. 1066, Fortino Covarrubias
Combined Interviews
Mr. Covarrubias recalls growing up and seeing several of the men in his community going to work in the United States, which inspired him to do the same; in 1949, shortly after completing his military service, he enlisted in the bracero program; he went to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he suffered greatly during the four months he waited for a contract; upon crossing into the United States, he was stripped, medically examined and deloused, like an animal; as a bracero, he completed one contract and labored in the fields of California, picking grapes, strawberries and tomatoes; he goes on to …
Interview No. 1078, Arturo Berumen
Interview No. 1078, Arturo Berumen
Combined Interviews
Mr. Berumen talks about his father becoming a bracero, in the early 1950s; because he was very young, he changed the dates on his papers so he could complete his military service early and get a contract sooner; just as he finished his service, he learned a bus was already leaving for Guanajuato, México; he gathered his things and left without even saying good-bye to his mother; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California picking and packing tomatoes; he also made friends that he traveled with to and from México; one of his employers helped him send …
Interview No. 1148, Francisco De Casas M.
Interview No. 1148, Francisco De Casas M.
Combined Interviews
Mr. Casas describes what it was like growing up on a ranch and how he helped with the land and the animals; he initially learned about the bracero program through people that would go to the ranches and charge roughly three hundred pesos to enlist people; in 1948, he enlisted as a bracero and went through a contracting center in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México; from there he traveled by bus to the border; he was later examined, which included getting x-rays and being deloused; as a bracero, he worked in Arizona and California planting, watering, picking, and packing various fruits and …
Interview No. 1158, Rosario Renteria
Interview No. 1158, Rosario Renteria
Combined Interviews
Ms. Renteria talks about her family at length, including each of her siblings, and their corresponding occupations and families; her father, Eugenio Rentería, was a campesino, who later enlisted in the bracero program; she describes him as an extremely hard worker, fighter, and survivor; as a bracero, he worked in Calexico, Coachella, and Indio, California, picking cotton and dates; he often traveled back and forth between the United States and México; while working in Calexico, he was transferred to Indio; although he could not write, he regularly had someone help him so he could send letters and money home; Rosario’s …
Interview No. 1160, Jesus Tellez Sanchez
Interview No. 1160, Jesus Tellez Sanchez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Tellez recalls his hometown, going to school, and working with his father; in 1953, he was able to get on the list of eligible workers in order to enlist in the bracero program; he went through the contracting center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; from there he was transported by train to El Paso, Texas, where he was medically examined, which including being stripped and deloused; the men who fumigated the braceros, however, wore uniforms for protection as well as masks; while at the processing center in Rio Vista, he was fed eggs, beans, and tortillas; before leaving for his …
Interview No. 1162, Pedro Velazquez L
Interview No. 1162, Pedro Velazquez L
Combined Interviews
Mr. Velazquez recalls learning to work the land with his family; in 1959, he traveled to Empalme, Sonora, to enlist in the bracero program, but his name was not on the list of eligible workers; in order he had to get the necessary papers, he had to pick two thousand kilos of cotton, which was very hard work; from then on, he preferred to pay a coyote to get the documentation; from there he went to Mexicali, Baja California, México, and the center there was only open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM; his first contract took him to Arizona, …
Interview No. 1075, Juan Guerrero Nava
Interview No. 1075, Juan Guerrero Nava
Combined Interviews
Mr. Guerrero explains that during the late 1950s, he enlisted in the bracero program; in order to get the necessary papers, he had to pick a given amount of cotton; he also talks about the various contracting centers he went through, including Monterrey, Nuevo León, Irapuato, Guanajuato and Empalme, Sonora, México; as part of the process, he was stripped, medically examined and deloused; he also went through centers in Calexico, California and McAllen, Texas; from these centers he was transported by bus to the worksites and given a bologna and cheese sandwich for the ride; although he did not really …
Interview No. 1071, Tarsicio Ortíz
Interview No. 1071, Tarsicio Ortíz
Combined Interviews
Mr. Ortíz talks about his father’s time as a bracero; he initially enlisted in the bracero program during the 1940s, before he married; some of his friends were hesitant to join, because they were afraid of being sent off to war; even so, he had to take the chance; he went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México; his hands were checked for calluses; some of the men that did not have any work experience rubbed sticks together in their hands to make calluses; he often talked to Tarsicio about how difficult life in México was and how working …
Interview No. 1077, Elsa Murillo Rodríguez
Interview No. 1077, Elsa Murillo Rodríguez
Combined Interviews
Ms. Murillo describes her childhood as very sad without her father; he was a bracero until the early 1960s; he labored in the fields of Texas picking apples and oranges; several of her other family members were also braceros; there were times while her father was away that they did not have enough money for food, and their grandparents helped care for them; while he was gone, her oldest brother was killed; they did not have enough money to bury him, but her father was able to return home quickly and help them; her father returned home roughly every two …
Interview No. 1080, Ismael Rodríguez
Interview No. 1080, Ismael Rodríguez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Rodríguez talks about his childhood and how sad it was, including his father’s death when he was only six years old; as a young man, he looked for work wherever he could find it; when he learned about the bracero program, he saw it as an opportunity to save money and help his family; in order to join, he had to put himself on the list of eligible workers; as part of the contracting process, he had to present his birth certificate, proof of military service and other documents; in addition, he was medically examined and deloused; as a …
Interview No. 1079, Jose Alvarez M.
Interview No. 1079, Jose Alvarez M.
Combined Interviews
Mr. Alvarez remembers growing up hearing his father talk about the United States; he was about ten years old when his father was a bracero; he often sent money, and the family lived off of that and what little they could bring in from the fields; his father completed roughly five contracts; after he passed away, José decided to enlist in the bracero program in 1953; he and his two brothers signed up on the list of eligible workers in their hometown of Jamay, Jalisco, México; even though he was only sixteen at the time, he was still able to …
Interview No. 1146, Jesus Bautista R.
Interview No. 1146, Jesus Bautista R.
Combined Interviews
Mr. Bautista briefly discusses his family and childhood; he was married in 1947, and he and his wife later had four children; by 1956, his wife became very ill, which prompted him to enlist in the bracero program in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México; from there he was transported to Empalme, Sonora, México, then to Mexicali, Baja California, México, where he underwent medical examinations; as a bracero, he labored primarily in California, picking blackberries, cherries, pears, strawberries, and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the different worksites, duties, schedules, living conditions, provisions, housing, accommodations, payments, and remittances; in addition, he describes an …
Interview No. 1161, Clemente Velazquez
Interview No. 1161, Clemente Velazquez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Velazquez recollects the humble home where he grew up with its roof made of grass and rocks; when he was twelve years old, he was responsible for about twenty cows on the hacienda; he was already married by the time he was roughly fifteen years old; not long after, he came to the United States illegally to work; he remembers hearing his uncles talk about the bracero program; in 1956, he was able to get on the list of eligible workers in order to get contracted in Empalme, Sonora, México; when not on the list, he had the option …
Interview No. 1290, José Mario Arredondo Salas
Interview No. 1290, José Mario Arredondo Salas
Combined Interviews
Mr. Arredondo worked on picking lettuce, pears and peaches as well as being a cook and gardener; he worked from 1949 to 1950 in Imperial Valley and from 1953 to 1961 in Yolo; Mr. Arredondo talks about working in agriculture on his father’s land; his father became ill when he was very young, forcing him to work the fields to help support his family; he discusses how he was married to his first wife for 5 months and had his first child; he talks about undergoing medical examinations and being stripped of his clothes and sprayed down as well as …
Interview No. 1292, Maria Luisa Chávez Vda. De Flores
Interview No. 1292, Maria Luisa Chávez Vda. De Flores
Combined Interviews
Maria Luisa Chávez Vda. de Flores met her husband in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; he was visiting his brother; he was forty-two years old and she was sixteen years old; Mr. Guadalupe Flores Avelino and his four siblings were orphans; her husband was from Jiménez del Teul, Zacatecas; she recalls that her husband contracted for the bracero program at Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he labored in the cotton fields and in agriculture picking tomatoes; after he completed his contract(s) he returned to Mexico; Maria Luisa Chávez Vda. de Flores recalls that they lived in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for two years and then …
Interview No. 1299, Carmen Lua
Interview No. 1299, Carmen Lua
Combined Interviews
Mrs. Lua discusses her childhood and the financial difficulties she and her family endured; several of her siblings died of hunger; Carmen’s mother moved from San Gregorio, Michoacan, Mexico, to Mexicali, Mexico, in order to be close to her husband who was working as a bracero in the U.S.; Mrs. Lua recalls that her father rarely sent money home; consequently, her mother took in other people’s laundry to support the family; Carmen also helped her family by washing dishes in order to supplement the family’s income, as a result, she never received any formal schooling; in 1942, Mr. Lua traveled …
Interview No. 1306, Juan E. Noriega
Interview No. 1306, Juan E. Noriega
Combined Interviews
Mr. Juan E. Noriega was an undocumented worker but he received a letter from his boss and he was able to contract as a bracero in El Centro, California; he worked twelve hour shifts as an irrigator; after five years, in 1959, he returned to Sonora, Mexico and renewed his contracted; he was sent to Tracy, California; he goes on to detail the camp size, living conditions, provisions, treatment, and recreational activities; he worked in the tomato and onion fields for six months; he briefly discusses the dances that were held in Brawley, California; he and his brother rented a …
Interview No. 1310, Enriqueta Quintero
Interview No. 1310, Enriqueta Quintero
Combined Interviews
Mrs. Quintero describes her hometown and what her life was like growing up; she explains that the young women of her home town were taken by force by the local men; in 1949, at the age of fourteen, she decided to marry in order to avoid the men of her town; in 1950, she gave birth to a daughter; her husband returned to the United States the following year; she describes his family as well-to-do; Mr. Quintero was a bracero in California until 1964; she details the suffering he endured and the low pay that he received while working as …
Interview No. 1316, Alejandro S. Arredondo
Interview No. 1316, Alejandro S. Arredondo
Combined Interviews
Mr. Arredondo briefly talks about his hometown and what life was like growing up; he initially learned about the Bracero Program in Cosalá, Sinaloa, Mexico; his brother was already in the United States and he wrote to him about the program; Mr. Arredondo travelled to Culiacán, Mexico in search of employment; from there, he traveled to Mexicali, Mexico; while in Mexicali, Mexico, he worked in the fields picking cotton; he crossed into United States illegally and he picked cotton as an undocumented worker; on several occasions, he and other undocumented workers were detained by immigration officials and were sent back …
Interview No. 1302, Manuel Montes Robles
Interview No. 1302, Manuel Montes Robles
Combined Interviews
Mr. Montes Robles talks about his hometown and what his life was like growing up; he recalls traveling and looking for work; in the process, he lost track of his family, however, he eventually found them; Mr. Montes and his brother began crossing illegally in search of employment; he learned of the bracero program through a newspaper ad; in 1946, he decide to enlist in the bracero program and went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he recalls the entire process, including lists of eligible workers, waiting times, and transportation to and from the center; as part of …
Interview No. 1318, Juan Topete
Interview No. 1318, Juan Topete
Combined Interviews
Mr. Topete recalls the humble beginnings of his childhood and how much he suffered; at the age of eighteen he and Margarita Becerra set out to Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico; along the way, he met a man who knew his father and he traveled to meet him; his father told him to return Margarita to her home and he sent him to the U.S.; he crossed into the U.S. through Mexicali, Mexico; he paid a man $125.00 to take him to Oakland, California; he worked for the railroad while in Oakland; he was deported to Mexicali, Mexico where he sold secondhand …
Interview No. 1324, Tomás Pelayo
Interview No. 1324, Tomás Pelayo
Combined Interviews
Mr. Tomás Pelayo briefly recalls his childhood and the financial difficulties he and his family endured; as a young man, he traveled to the United States in search of adventure; he heard about a call for braceros and he returned to Mexico in order to join the program; he recalls the process, including lists of eligible workers, waiting times, and transportation to and from the center; in addition, he mentions going through the center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; on another occasion, he traveled to Hermosillo, Mexico where he picked two thousand kilos of cotton in order to obtain a letter …
Interview No. 1321, Alfredo Angulo Castro
Interview No. 1321, Alfredo Angulo Castro
Combined Interviews
Mr. Alfredo Angulo Castro recalls his childhood and the financial difficulties he and his family endured; he was a racehorse jockey at the age of five; in 1949, at the age of nineteen, he traveled to the United States; his godfather was the foreman for a company in Holtville, California; in order to work for the company, he returned to Mexico and joined the bracero program; he recalls going through the processing center in Mexicali, Mexico; as part of the process, he was medically examined, shaved, and deloused; he worked twelve to twenty-four hour shifts as an irrigator in the …
Interview No. 1301, Bacelicia Meza De Peraza
Interview No. 1301, Bacelicia Meza De Peraza
Combined Interviews
Ms. Bacelicia Meza de Peraza recalls growing up in the most rural of areas, a ranch with no electricity and cars were never seen to pass by; both of her parents worked in agriculture and as a young teen she helped by harvesting carrots; at the age of 17 she moved to Mexicali with her aunt, where she worked selling magazines and books; it was in Mexicali where Ms. Bacelicia met her husband who had been a bracero for the past 10 years; she talks about them going on dates to the movies and around town; she mentions that her …
Interview No. 1293, Manuel Chávez Romo
Interview No. 1293, Manuel Chávez Romo
Combined Interviews
Mr. Romo describes moving at a young age to San Juan de los Lagos because his father was going to help them get residency in the United States; he talks about growing up poor and that 11 of his siblings died because of the harsh winter conditions; at the age of 16 Mr. Romo attended school in Zacatecas where he studied to become a welder; he talks about his mother raising him and taking care of the few chickens and cows they had in order to survive; Mr. Romo speaks highly of his father and is very proud that his …
Interview No. 1305, Santiago Navarro
Interview No. 1305, Santiago Navarro
Combined Interviews
Mr. Navarro briefly recalls his childhood and the financial difficulties he and his family endured; he talks about his hometown and what his life was like growing up; when he was eighteen years old there was a drawing for the military but he was not selected; he briefly details working with his brother (1946-48); it was there that he heard about a call for braceros; he recalls the process, including lists of eligible workers, waiting times, and transportation; he went through the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; upon being hired, he was sent to a processing center in El …
Interview No. 1319, Adolfo Valdez Verduzco
Interview No. 1319, Adolfo Valdez Verduzco
Combined Interviews
Mr. Valdez Verduzco talks about his hometown of Casa Blanca, Sinaloa, Mexico and what his life was like growing up; his parents moved from Sinaloa to Mexicali, Mexico in search of employment; in 1946, he crossed into the United States illegally; in 1954, he went through the hiring process to become a bracero; in addition, he mentions going through centers in El Centro, Bella Vista, and Santa Clara, California, Mexicali, Mexico and Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; his first contract took him to work in the potato fields of Stockton, California; he returned to Mexico and renewed his contract in Empalme, Sonora, …
Interview No. 1309, Francisco Plascencia Sandoval
Interview No. 1309, Francisco Plascencia Sandoval
Combined Interviews
Mr. Plascencia Sandoval briefly recalls his hometown and working in agriculture while growing up; he recalls that there were no schools in his hometown, so consequently he did not receive any formal education; he talks about his father working in the mines of Arizona; in 1954, he decided to enlist in the bracero program and went through the contracting center in Mexicali; as part of the process, he was medically examined and deloused; he recalls that one of the requirements for the braceros was to have calloused hands; some of the men would burn their hands in order to meet …
Interview No. 1320, Juan Virgen Díaz
Interview No. 1320, Juan Virgen Díaz
Combined Interviews
Mr. Virgen Díaz recalls his childhood; he remembers hearing stories about his father working as a bracero in the United States; his father encouraged him to join the bracero program; they traveled to the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he recalls the entire process, including lists of eligible workers, waiting times and transportation; he details the harsh conditions he and other men endured while waiting there; the center was overcrowded, they slept in barracks constructed of cardboard and on the floor; both he and his father were stripped, examined, and deloused on both sides of the border; in addition, …