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Articles 871 - 900 of 2818

Full-Text Articles in Oral History

Interview No. 1226, Eusebio Hernandez May 2006

Interview No. 1226, Eusebio Hernandez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Hernandez briefly mentions his family, childhood, and adolescence; while working at a gas station in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, he heard about contracts for the bracero program; in order to receive the proper documentation for the program he had to pick two thousand kilograms of cotton before being sent to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora; he describes the journey from the centers to the border and the physical exams and delousing process he underwent as rude and embarrassing; as a bracero he worked in the fields with crops such as beets, cotton, lettuce, and onions; furthermore, he details the …

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Interview No. 1234, Lucio Nuñez May 2006

Interview No. 1234, Lucio Nuñez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Nuñez briefly talks about his family; he was working in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México, when he first heard about the bracero program; he decided to enlist, and three months later, he went to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he waited a week and a half to obtain a contract; he offers a detailed description of the entire process he underwent in México and the United States, including being stripped, medically examined and fumigated, which was especially humiliating and discriminatory; many men even broke out into rashes from the poison used during fumigation; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of …

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Interview No. 1240, Ezequiel R. Serrano, María Serrano May 2006

Interview No. 1240, Ezequiel R. Serrano, María Serrano

Combined Interviews

Mr. Serrano remembers his older brother convincing him that they should join the bracero program together; they went to Distrito Federal, México to obtain a contract, because they were looking for railroad workers; Ezequiel said he was twenty-two years old, when he was really only eighteen to meet the age requirement for enlisting; as part of the contracting process, he was stripped, medically examined and deloused; moreover, he mentions that when some men had hemorrhoids, they would go to the bathroom immediately before they were examined and not wipe in order to hide the hemorrhoids; they would get in trouble …

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Interview No. 1237, Juan H. Perez May 2006

Interview No. 1237, Juan H. Perez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Perez briefly talks about his family; he initially learned about the bracero program when he was fourteen years old, but he was not old enough to enlist; instead, he decided to come to the United States to work without proper documentation when he was sixteen years old; his grandmother lived on the border between Mexicali, Baja California, México and Calexico, California, which was how he crossed over; with the money he earned he was able to help his parents and siblings in México; once he was old enough, he enlisted as a bracero; when he crossed into the United …

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Interview No. 1239, Gonzalo Quiroz May 2006

Interview No. 1239, Gonzalo Quiroz

Combined Interviews

Mr. Quiroz talks about getting married in 1957 and having his first child shortly after; the following year, in 1958, he decided to enlist in the bracero program, because he was not earning enough money; he was able to get on the list of available workers, and he went through the center in Empalme, Sonora, México, where he suffered greatly due to the long wait and scarcity of food; from there, he was transported by train to Mexicali, Baja California, México, before going through Calexico, California, where he was stripped, medically examined and deloused; as a bracero, he labored in …

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Interview No. 1246, Isaias Sanchez May 2006

Interview No. 1246, Isaias Sanchez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Sanchez talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; when he was fifteen years old, he wanted to join the bracero program, but he had to wait until he completed his military service; he describes the difficulties he faced trying to enlist and the centers he went through in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Monterrey, Nuevo León and Empalme, Sonora, México; as part of the contracting process, he was stripped, medically examined and deloused; although re-contracting at these centers was initially difficult, over time he got to know people who helped him and was later able to buy …

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Interview No. 1243, Marcos Ruíz May 2006

Interview No. 1243, Marcos Ruíz

Combined Interviews

Mr. Ruíz briefly talks about his life in México; when he was seventeen years old, after he completed his military service, he moved to Mexicali, Baja California, México, where he learned about the bracero program; he went through the contracting center in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México; from there, he was transported by train to the border, where he was stripped and medically examined; many men fainted when blood samples were collected, because they had not eaten; worse yet, they were forced to strip in spite of the women present; an American official told them it did not matter, made them bend …

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Interview No. 1251, Roberto Sotelo A. May 2006

Interview No. 1251, Roberto Sotelo A.

Combined Interviews

Mr. Sotelo briefly discusses his family; during the early 1950s, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he describes the contracting process he underwent at the centers in Monterrey, Nuevo León and Empalme, Sonora México, including medical exams; when going through Empalme, he worked in California, and when he went through Monterrey, he worked in Texas; from the centers he was transported by trains or buses to the border, where he was further examined and deloused; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, California and Texas picking various crops; he goes on to detail the different …

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Interview No. 1252, Vidal Tafoya May 2006

Interview No. 1252, Vidal Tafoya

Combined Interviews

Mr. Tafoya briefly talks about his family and what his life was like growing up in México; he recalls that a great flood ruined all the crops, which led to government officials giving out cards to enlist in the bracero program on several ejidos; he went to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he encountered difficulties, because he had not completed his military service; eventually, he was able to pass through to the center in Mexicali, Baja California, México, where he was examined and fumigated; he was then transported by bus to the San Joaquin Valley Association where ranchers chose the workers …

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Interview No. 1244, Manuel Sanchez Moreno May 2006

Interview No. 1244, Manuel Sanchez Moreno

Combined Interviews

Mr. Sanchez briefly talks about his family; when he and his brother went to visit their sister in Mexicali, Baja California, México, a group of men convinced them to enlist in the bracero program, and they helped them at the center in Empalme, Sonora, México; as part of the process, they were stripped and medically examined; they began to doubt their decision to join, because everything was so far beyond what they had imagined; Manuel recalls that many men tore up their contracts when they did not get assigned to the places they wanted; as a bracero, he labored in …

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Interview No. 1254, Salvador Velazco May 2006

Interview No. 1254, Salvador Velazco

Combined Interviews

Mr. Velazco talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; he recalls that at first, people were afraid of getting sent off to war if they enlisted in the bracero program; Salvador initially came to the United States, in 1947, without documents; roughly a month later, he went to the Coachella Valley Farmer’s Association (CVFA) and acquired a bracero contract; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, picking and packing various crops and driving a tractor until 1960; he goes on to detail housing, accommodations, amenities, provisions, duties, routines, payments, remittances, treatment, friendships, …

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Interview No. 1241, Isabel Rodríguez May 2006

Interview No. 1241, Isabel Rodríguez

Combined Interviews

Ms. Rodríguez remembers her father, Francisco, enlisting in the bracero program in 1960, when she was roughly five years old; he later obtained his second contract in 1963; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, picking lettuce, onions, radishes and squash; when he initially left, her mother and two oldest brothers had to care for their animals and the crops he had already planted, including beans, corn and squash; in addition, her mother also had another plot of land with sugar cane; they had to hire men with mules to help bring in the crops, and the …

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Interview No. 1256, Eulalio Verazas May 2006

Interview No. 1256, Eulalio Verazas

Combined Interviews

Mr. Verazas talks about his life growing up in México and how much he suffered; he worked in the United States without documents for a brief time; by the early 1940s, he had already married and enlisted in the bracero program; as part of the contracting process he was stripped, medically examined and deloused; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California and Texas, picking and packing various fruits and vegetables; he goes on to detail his different worksites, housing, duties, payments and correspondence; while his wife was in México, people began to spread rumors about Eulalio not …

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Interview No. 1257, Jesus Villalba C. May 2006

Interview No. 1257, Jesus Villalba C.

Combined Interviews

Mr. Villalba talks about his family and what his life was like growing up in México; during his early twenties he married; economic necessity drove him to enlist in the bracero program in 1959; his wife was reluctant to let him go for fear he would get sick, injured or not return; as part of the contracting process, he went through the center in Empalme, Sonora, México, where he waited for thirteen days; he underwent medical exams in México and the United States; moreover, he was also fumigated upon entering the United States; during this process, he suffered greatly, because …

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Interview No. 1258, Brijido Solíz May 2006

Interview No. 1258, Brijido Solíz

Combined Interviews

Mr. Solíz talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; in 1955, he was living in Poza Rica [de Hidalgo], Veracruz, México, when he decided to enlist in the bracero program; at the time, he was working on an ejido, but he was not earning enough to make a living; he went to Mexicali, Baja California, México to begin the contracting process; upon crossing into the United States he was medically examined and fumigated; on some occasions, he was able to obtain a specialized workers contract, as a palmero, or date picker, which allowed him to …

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Interview No. 1231, Cipriano Moreno May 2006

Interview No. 1231, Cipriano Moreno

Combined Interviews

Mr. Moreno briefly speaks about his family; in 1960, when he was twenty-three years old, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he signed up in his hometown of Irapuato, Guanajuato, but he was sent to Empalme, Sonora; he was assigned a number based on his home state, and once he was called, he was transferred to Mexicali, Baja California, México, and then to El Centro, California; while there, he was stripped, medically examined and deloused; as a bracero, he completed two contracts and labored in the fields of California, cleaning, pruning and picking beets, cantaloupe, grapes, lettuce and …

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Interview No. 1216, Catarino J. Durán May 2006

Interview No. 1216, Catarino J. Durán

Combined Interviews

Mr. Durán briefly talks about his family and adolescence; several people in his community worked as braceros and returned home with new clothes and money, which was what he wanted for himself; in 1954, when he was twenty years old, he took a bus from his hometown to Mexicali, Baja California, México, where he enlisted in the bracero program; his first contract took him to Sacramento, California, to pick tomatoes for a cannery; later he worked in Stockton and Tracy, California; he goes on to describe how tiring it was to stay hunched over all day working in the fields; …

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Interview No. 1221, Judith García May 2006

Interview No. 1221, Judith García

Combined Interviews

Ms. García talks about her father, who was a bracero, and details his childhood; he was not formally educated for very long, but he did learn to read and write; when he was eighteen years old, he enlisted in the bracero program; Judith was about five years old at the time; his absence was difficult for the entire family, especially her mother; she had to take on the role of being a father for her children and, she also took over the family business of making and selling mezcal; Judith recalls that many of her friends’ father’s were also braceros, …

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Interview No. 1242, Juan Rosanes May 2006

Interview No. 1242, Juan Rosanes

Combined Interviews

Mr. Rosanes briefly talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; for a brief time, he worked in the United States without proper documentation; later, he picked cotton in Sonora, México, to obtain the necessary papers to enlist in Empalme, Sonora, México, where he was medically examined; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California and Michigan, picking cucumbers, grapes, lemons, oranges and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the worksites, camp sizes, housing, accommodations, amenities, provisions, duties, routines, treatment, friendships, payments and recreational activities, including trips into town; on occasion, Mexican officials visited …

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Interview No. 1247, Melitona M. Santacruz May 2006

Interview No. 1247, Melitona M. Santacruz

Combined Interviews

Mrs. Santacruz talks about meeting her husband, José Guadalupe de Santacruz Rangel, in her home town of Ojocaliente, Zacatecas, México; when she was eighteen years old, they married; he was twenty years old at the time; they lived in Ojocaliente for a few years before he decided to enlist in the bracero program, because he was not earning enough money; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California irrigating crops; he suffered greatly while crossing into the United States, because of the exams he had to endure; after a year, in the program, he sent her money to …

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Interview No. 1206, Agustin Bautista May 2006

Interview No. 1206, Agustin Bautista

Combined Interviews

Mr. Agustin Bautista recalls growing up in Jiquilpan, Michoacán, México; he states that he is the youngest sibling in his family; additionally, he explains that he was contracted for the first time on 1943, at Empalme, Sonora, México; he details how the contracting and processing of braceros was done, the treatment they received in Empalme, and how they were transported to the United States-México border; furthermore, he explains how officials had braceros shave their heads before crossing into the United States to prevent lice from spreading and how they were deloused; he relates how he worked in Arizona, California, Oregon, …

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Interview No. 1209, Marcelino Burcíaga May 2006

Interview No. 1209, Marcelino Burcíaga

Combined Interviews

Mr. Burcíaga recalls growing up in Canatlan, Durango, México; he states that his father was a carpenter and a shoemaker; at an early age, he began working in agriculture; he states that in 1961 he decided to join the bracero program because of financial difficulties; he describes being contracted in Mexicali, Baja California, México and being sent to Empalme, Sonora, México for processing; while in Empalme, he states that he was given thorough medical exams; he details the treatment he received in that center, and then he explains how he was transported to the United States-México border; once he became …

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Interview No. 1211, Pedro Carmona May 2006

Interview No. 1211, Pedro Carmona

Combined Interviews

Mr. Carmona remembers growing up in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, México the middle child of eight siblings; he states that his parents worked in agriculture; additionally, he recalls working from an early age, and not being able to attend school because of the need to earn a wage; he discusses how he heard about the bracero program in 1945, and his decision to join the program in 1948; furthermore, he explains how he had to pay a mordida or bribe to get on the list of workers for the program; he does not go into detail about the process of being contracted …

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Interview No. 1212, María Serrano, María Carmona May 2006

Interview No. 1212, María Serrano, María Carmona

Combined Interviews

Ms. Carmona and Ms. Serrano discuss their childhoods and what life was like in México for them; they both explain how the bracero program impacted them directly; specifically, Ms. Carmona describes the hardships her family endured while her father worked as a bracero; she states that it was hard to never know when her father would return; additionally, she explains how her mother coped with the situation and how the children had to work from an early age to help make ends meet; for Ms. Serrano, the bracero program impacted her through her marriage; she relates how hard it was …

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Interview No. 1220, Pedro García N. May 2006

Interview No. 1220, Pedro García N.

Combined Interviews

Mr. García talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; he explains that government officials went into different towns to get people to enlist in the bracero program; during the 1940s, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he comments that it was extremely difficult to join, because there were a number of strict requirements; as part of the process, he was stripped, medically examined and fumigated; if men did not pass due to illness, they were given a week to recover before going through the entire process again; every time he obtained a new …

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Interview No. 1248, Jesus Solis May 2006

Interview No. 1248, Jesus Solis

Combined Interviews

Mr. Solis talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; although joining the bracero program was never an economic necessity for him, he longed to come to the United States to know what it was like; when he was in his early twenties, he went with two of his friends to the contracting center in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; they paid a lawyer who was responsible for the list of eligible workers two hundred pesos to get on the list; by the next evening they were on a train headed for the United States; during the process, …

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Interview No. 1259, Jose M. Zepeda May 2006

Interview No. 1259, Jose M. Zepeda

Combined Interviews

Mr. Zepeda talks about his life in México, including his various odd jobs; he initially learned about the bracero program through newspaper announcements; during the 1960s, after completing his military service, he went to Empalme, Sonora, México with a group of roughly four hundred men to pick cotton and get the necessary papers to enlist in the program; upon arriving in the United States, he was inspected like a piece of fruit and fumigated; many men were embarrassed by the entire process; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, picking asparagus, cotton, dates, strawberries and tomatoes; he …

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Interview No. 1249, Nabor Solorio Lara May 2006

Interview No. 1249, Nabor Solorio Lara

Combined Interviews

Mr. Solorio briefly talks about his family; in 1958, he married, and a year later he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México; there were long waiting lines, and he had to sleep on his shoes at night so they would not get stolen; as part of the process, he was stripped and medically examined on both sides of the border, but he was also deloused in the United States; as a bracero, he labored in Arizona and California, picking and packing carrots, cotton, lettuce and tomatoes; he goes on …

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Interview No. 1182, Margarita Saldivar May 2006

Interview No. 1182, Margarita Saldivar

Combined Interviews

Ms. Saldivar briefly mentions her family and childhood; what she remembers most is her father, Francisco Leopoldo Saldívar, always talking to her about the United States and how it was a completely different country where people lived very well; he frequently spoke of the relationships he formed and how he felt free; on weekends he would make pancakes and bacon, because he missed the food so much; although he worked a lot, he enjoyed his time in the United States and longed to return, but he never had the opportunity; he enlisted when he was eighteen years old and regularly …

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Interview No. 1166, Pedro Benitez May 2006

Interview No. 1166, Pedro Benitez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Benitez vividly describes his childhood, including the deaths of his mother and grandmother, being abandoned by his father, and the various resulting difficulties he and his two sisters faced; he sobs at the recollection of such events; growing up, he wandered from place to place in search of work and a place to stay; he later began picking cotton in the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora; while in Sonora, during the early fifties, he picked two thousand kilograms of cotton, which allowed him to travel to Empalme, Sonora, to enlist in the bracero program; as a bracero, he …

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