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- University of Texas at El Paso. Institute of Oral History—interviews. (872)
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Articles 301 - 330 of 1746
Full-Text Articles in Oral History
Interview No. 1349, María Soledad Herrera De Reyes
Interview No. 1349, María Soledad Herrera De Reyes
Combined Interviews
Ms. Herrera de Reyes talks about her family and growing up in her half brother’s home; she was raised with several half siblings, and her mother cared for all of them; when María was still a baby, her father enlisted in the bracero program; while he was gone her mother sold tortillas and worked as a seamstress to supplement their income; María also recalls her day-to-day life with her mother and grandfather; upon her father’s return, he brought his wife and daughters undergarments from the United States, but his wife did not like them; he also bought a lot of …
Interview No. 1327, Ramona Acosta
Interview No. 1327, Ramona Acosta
Combined Interviews
Ms. Acosta vividly describes her family and childhood; when she was roughly five years old, her father was deported, and as a result, the family moved to México; eight years later, Ramona returned to the United States at the bidding of her maternal grandparents; shortly thereafter, she started working in order to help support her family, including her parents, who were still in México; she labored in the fields picking and packing a variety of fruits and vegetables; although she had several employers, she explains that braceros and locals worked side by side; they had the same types of jobs …
Interview No. 1340, Catalino Díaz Villa
Interview No. 1340, Catalino Díaz Villa
Combined Interviews
Mr. Díaz describes his family and what his life was like growing up; when he was roughly thirty-five years old, he wanted to join the bracero program; his parents were reluctant to let him go; they thought he was too naïve, especially because he could not read, and they did not trust the United States; in spite of their worries, with his uncle’s help and a few of his cousins, he enlisted near Iguala [de la Independencia], Guerrero, México; he details the contracting center he went through in Empalme, Sonora, and the difficulties he faced while there; more specifically, he …
Interview No. 1359, Margarita Murillo
Interview No. 1359, Margarita Murillo
Combined Interviews
Ms. Murillo talks about growing up with her sister and two half brothers; when Margarita was only a few years old, her father, Federico Herrera, enlisted in the bracero program; he labored in the fields and on the railroads; while he was gone, they stayed with different relatives on her mother’s side, because they did not have a home; her aunt often gave them supplies like food and soap, because they did not have anything; her mother cleaned, washed and sewed to earn money; eventually, her father was able to send enough money for them to rent a small adobe …
Interview No. 1362, Eva R. Ortiz
Interview No. 1362, Eva R. Ortiz
Combined Interviews
Ms. Ortiz talks about her family and what her life was like growing up; as a young woman she began dating Manuel Ortiz Orozco, whom she knew from the ranch where they were both raised; in 1955, he enlisted in the bracero program; she was happy that he joined, because it was of great help, especially given that the harvests were so undependable; they often wrote love letters to each other; when he and other men were gone their fields were abandoned, and the women and children did the best they could; after he returned from his first contract, they …
Interview No. 1363, Manuel Ortiz Orozco
Interview No. 1363, Manuel Ortiz Orozco
Combined Interviews
Mr. Ortiz briefly talks about his family and childhood; his older brothers enlisted in the bracero program, and in 1955, he also joined; he went through the contracting center in his hometown of Chihuahua, which he explains was called El Trocadero; if men did not have the proper documentation, they had to pay seventy-five pesos; the men were also examined by American doctors and asked questions about working the land; they were transported to El Paso, Texas in trains used to haul metal; consequently, upon arriving, they were all black and dirty; afterward, they were deloused, which he describes as …
Interview No. 1374, Claro Ruiz Ortíz
Interview No. 1374, Claro Ruiz Ortíz
Combined Interviews
Mr. Ortíz talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; in 1956, he decided to enlist in the bracero program, because there was no work in México; he went through the contracting center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, and he describes the process as very long and sad; thousands of men were waiting, and they were divided into groups, stripped and examined altogether in a large room; he explains that if he had proof he had already worked as a bracero, he was able to pass through more quickly; from there, he was transferred in a cargo …
Interview No. 1378, Pedro Torres
Interview No. 1378, Pedro Torres
Combined Interviews
Mr. Torres twenty traveled to Chihuahua to get hired in the Bracero Program. Mr. Torres took a train called “El Pollero” in the city of Gomez Palacio and traveled to Chihuahua, Chihuahua. The most difficult part of the journey was in Chihuahua. The conditions of the train were very poorly. Finally they arrived at the recruitment center in Rio Vista, California where they had some medical examinations. Torres traveled without documents just with his Mexican military ID. Torres worked picking cotton in Texas and New Mexico with a salary of $0.05 per pound of cotton. He returned to work as …
Interview No. 1350, Selerina Landeros
Interview No. 1350, Selerina Landeros
Combined Interviews
Mrs. Landeros briefly mentions her family; she describes meeting and marrying her husband, Dionisio Landeros, in 1937; in addition, she talks about the agrarian reform that led to the land distribution in which her father, brothers and husband obtained land; later, in 1943, Dionisio decided to enlist in the bracero program; he initially signed up for the program in León, Guanajuato, México before traveling to Guanajuato, Guanajuato, México to begin the contracting process; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California picking almonds and oranges until 1945; his first contract took him to Sacramento, California to pick almonds …
Interview No. 1337, Natividad Cano
Interview No. 1337, Natividad Cano
Combined Interviews
Ms. Cano very vividly describes her family, including aunts, uncles, and cousins, and what her childhood was like; her father, Alberto Valenzuela, worked for a rancher in México, and they often came to the United States to sell livestock; the rancher knew people who worked for the bracero program, and he recommended Alberto; in 1943, he traveled by train to Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, to enlist in the program, and he took his ID, birth certificate, and letters of recommendation with him; he worked primarily in southern Arizona with livestock, and he sent money home as often as he could; upon …
Interview No. 1361, Aristeo Ortega Acuña
Interview No. 1361, Aristeo Ortega Acuña
Combined Interviews
Mr. Ortega briefly talks about his family; in 1957, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; initially, he signed up in Hermosillo, Sonora, México and then traveled to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México; he recounts the entire process he underwent, including the requirements to pick cotton, necessary papers, long waiting times and medical examinations; as a bracero, he completed a total of four contracts and labored in Arizona and California cleaning, pruning, picking and loading apricots, lettuce, peaches, tomatoes and other citrus crops; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp sizes, housing, accommodations, living conditions, …
Interview No. 1328, José Esequiel Adame
Interview No. 1328, José Esequiel Adame
Combined Interviews
Mr. Adame very briefly describes his family and childhood; he recalls going to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, with his father and brother, to enlist as braceros; in order to be allowed into the contracting center, they had to pay, and even then they still had to stay there for a week, and sometimes even longer; they also had to spend money just to sleep on the floor of a hotel while they waited for a contract; once called, they were stripped and medically examined; from there they were transported by cargo train to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, and then taken to …
Interview No. 1335, Lucas Edmundo Benítez Cárdenas
Interview No. 1335, Lucas Edmundo Benítez Cárdenas
Combined Interviews
Mr. Benítez vividly describes his family and childhood; in 1942, he learned about the bracero contracts and started exercising in order to build calluses on his hands, because he knew they would be checked; he details the medical exams he underwent and how he was bathed in a liquid he was unfamiliar with; shortly thereafter, he and other braceros were loaded on buses and taken to different cities throughout the United States; he was taken to Salinas, California, where he labored in the beet and lettuce fields, which he explains was very difficult; in addition, he talks about working for …
Interview No. 1382, Alberto Valenzuela Gonzalez
Interview No. 1382, Alberto Valenzuela Gonzalez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Valenzuela worked in the field at a young age after his father passed away. He worked in the field planting cotton and corn. During the rainy seasons his uncle would take them milk cows and then produce cheese to sell in the United States. Valenzuela found out about the bracero program through his boss, Francisco Jacquez. His boss offered him a job in Arizona. At the age of twenty-nine, he went to Nogales and was hired in the bracero program. His new boss was Carlos Rosten with whom he worked in the field. Valenzuela worked in the field in …
Interview No. 1339, Gregorio De La Cruz
Interview No. 1339, Gregorio De La Cruz
Combined Interviews
Mr. de la Cruz briefly discusses his family and childhood; in 1954, the family moved to a place just outside of Empalme, Sonora, México, where he learned about the bracero program; he could not find work in México at the time, and he decided to enlist in the program; to begin the process, he went to Empalme to pick cotton and get a card and his name on the list of available workers; from there, he had to wait to be called, which could happen anywhere from ten days to one month; he describes waiting in line to be fumigated …
Interview No. 1354, Cuauhtémoc Z. Madrid
Interview No. 1354, Cuauhtémoc Z. Madrid
Combined Interviews
Mr. Madrid talks about his hometown and what his life was like growing up; when he went to the center to enlist, contracts were suspended after ten days, and no one knew why; even so, he and others continued to wait; they held on to the belt loops of the people in front of and behind them so no one would get in line in front of them; while waiting, he climbed a tree, picked dates and gave them to the men that did not have food; when contracts resumed, he could not pass, because his papers were not signed; …
Interview No. 1343, Pablo C. Flores
Interview No. 1343, Pablo C. Flores
Combined Interviews
Mr. Flores briefly describes his family and the difficulties he faced during childhood and adolescence; in 1948, he went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México, in order to enlist in the bracero program; in the hopes of obtaining subsequent contracts he often went through Empalme; there were usually thousands of men in line at the center; he stayed there anywhere from a few days to over a month, which made it extremely difficult to wait, because he did not have any money for food; moreover, there were soldiers at the center to help keep order, and they often …
Interview No. 1360, Antonio Olivares Samaniego
Interview No. 1360, Antonio Olivares Samaniego
Combined Interviews
Mr. Olivares briefly talks about his family; after they moved to Hermosillo, Sonora, México, he heard about the bracero program; during the early 1950s, he decided to enlist in the program; he recounts the contracting process he underwent; although he was not medically examined in México, his hands and arms were checked to ensure that he was able to work; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, California and Washington, picking and irrigating alfalfa, beets, cotton, pears, peas and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp sizes, housing, accommodations, living conditions, provisions, routines, treatment, …
Interview No. 1381, Ramón Valencia
Interview No. 1381, Ramón Valencia
Combined Interviews
Mr. Valencia traveled to Empalme, Sonora to begin the hiring process for the Bracero Program carrying his birth certificate and school records. After waiting about twenty days in Empalme, he went to Benjamin Gil in order to take the train to Mexicali. The next step in the process was to travel to El Centro, California. Then in El Centro, California, the authorities conducted medical tests on the applicants. Finally, Mr. Valencia took a bus to Ventura California and started working in a little town named Saticoy. Mr. Valencia worked on the orchards of lemon, orange and strawberry earning salary was …
Interview No. 1600, Agustin Diaz Roldan
Interview No. 1600, Agustin Diaz Roldan
Combined Interviews
He states that he rotated working in Imperial Valley, Phoenix, Arizona, and Salinas, California from 1954-1960, renewing his contract eighteen months at a time with the same farm company, he picked cotton, lettuce, tomatoes, chilly, asparagus, and strawberries; he also worked as a cook for the farmers, he remembers men were given three meals with lunch being delivered to the fields, they were charged $1.75 a day for all three meals, he would work seven days a week; he recalls in detail the procedure he went through to become a bracero; he used oil and dirt to make his hands …
Interview No. 1332, Horacio Andrejol Nogales
Interview No. 1332, Horacio Andrejol Nogales
Combined Interviews
Mr. Andrejol briefly describes his family; for a time he worked illegally in California, but his employer helped him become a bracero toward the end of 1958; he then completed an eighteen month contract; although his boss wanted him to drive, as a bracero he was not allowed; he was then sent to Tijuana, Baja California, México, to arrange for legal residency; as a bracero, his primary responsibility was to feed and care for livestock; he initially returned to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he waited for fifteen days while he was sent money by his employer in the states on …
Interview No. 1346, Francisco Gallardo González
Interview No. 1346, Francisco Gallardo González
Combined Interviews
Mr. Gallardo talks about his family and hometown; in 1954, he came to the United States and worked without proper documentation in Holtville, California; his boss took him to El Centro, California to obtain a contract with the bracero program; he explains what he went through, including medical exams and delousing procedures, before returning to work in Holtville; after his contract ended, he returned to México and went through the contracting process in Empalme, Sonora, México, which was much more difficult, due to the requirements and long waiting times; as a bracero, he labored in the alfalfa fields and orange …
Interview No. 1341, Eberto Enríquez
Interview No. 1341, Eberto Enríquez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Enríquez describes his family and what it was like growing up in Bacerac, Sonora, México; after learning about the bracero program, he took a bus to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México, in order to enlist; he details the difficulties he encountered while there, as well as the medical exams and other procedures he underwent; from there, he was transported by train to Mexicali, Baja California, and then to El Centro, California; upon entering the United States, he was examined again, stripped naked, and fumigated; before being allowed to dress, he was photographed for his mica card; he …
Interview No. 1389, Felipe César Chan-Noh
Interview No. 1389, Felipe César Chan-Noh
Combined Interviews
Mr. Chan-noh briefly recalls his childhood and the financial difficulties he and his family endured; he married at the age of seventeen; when he was eighteen years old he enlisted in the Mexican military; he heard about the bracero program while in the military; he went through the hiring process several years later; he recalls the entire process, including that he recruited forty to fifty men from his hometown to join the bracero program; in addition, he mentions going through the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, México; he recalls that one of the requirements for the braceros was to have …
Interview No. 1390, Antonio Cisneros Piña
Interview No. 1390, Antonio Cisneros Piña
Combined Interviews
Mr. Cisneros speaks of the obstacles he and his family faced working in the fields of México; in 1955, he married, and two years later, he had his first daughter; soon after his wife became very ill, which prompted him to enlist in the bracero program in 1958; he discusses waiting to get on the list of available workers before traveling by train and bus to get to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México; in addition, he describes the difficulties he underwent while waiting there, including becoming sick from the heat; the resulting fever kept him from passing the …
Interview No. 1392, Alma Delia Fraile Barozio
Interview No. 1392, Alma Delia Fraile Barozio
Combined Interviews
Ms. Fraile talks about her family and her life growing up; her grandfather and uncles served in the bracero program, but she was too young to remember any details; by the time she was eighteen years old, she was involved with the Confederación Nacional Campesina (CNC) and their fight for equal land rights for women on ejidos; at the time, she was also studying for a career in social work; in time, she married and had two children; she and her husband were political activists involved in various social causes and cooperative projects; some time later, she began working …
Interview No. 1584, Ventura Gutierrez
Interview No. 1584, Ventura Gutierrez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Gutiérrez briefly recalls his childhood and the neighborhood he grew up in; he recalls accidently setting his home on fire while playing cowboys and Indians; they lost all of their belongings in the fire and as a result they moved to a Mexican barrio; he discusses the Chicano Movement and organizations such as MEChA, UMAS, the Partido de la Raza Unida, MAPA and the U.F.W.; he briefly discusses his time in the military; in 1972, Mr. Gutiérrez married; Mr. Gutiérrez worked as a teacher’s aid at Coachella Valley High School (1976-77) and obtained his elementary teaching credentials at San …
Interview No. 1397, Priciliano Suarez
Interview No. 1397, Priciliano Suarez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Suarez talks about is hometown and working in agriculture on his father’s land; he briefly recalls his family and childhood; he remembers hearing stories about his father working in the United States, which made him want to do the same; in 1953 Mr. Suarez married at the age of seventeen; he and his wife had three children; in 1959 he went through the hiring process to become a bracero; as part of the process, he was medically examined, vaccinated, and deloused; in addition he mentions going through the center in Empalme Sonora, Mexico; from there Mr. Suarez was sent …
Interview No. 1398, J. Jesus Villaseñor Santoyo
Interview No. 1398, J. Jesus Villaseñor Santoyo
Combined Interviews
Mr. Villaseñor talks about his life growing up; during the midforties, his uncle fulfilled several bracero contracts; Jesús saw how well it went for his uncle, and in 1955, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he describes how he was able to get on the list of eligible workers in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; from there, he was transported by airplane to Mexicali, Baja California, México, and then to Calexico, California, where ranchers picked the workers they wanted; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona and California picking various fruits and vegetables; he goes on to …
Interview No. 1393, Ángel Guzmán Domínguez
Interview No. 1393, Ángel Guzmán Domínguez
Combined Interviews
Mr. Guzmán talks about growing up, including his family and learning how to make shoes; one of his uncles served in the bracero program, which convinced him to do the same; in 1944, he and five of his friends traveled by boat, bus and train before finally arriving at the contacting station in Queretaro, México; with the proper documentation, he was quickly called and passed all the medical exams; he explains that the men in Queretaro went straight to the railroads, while those processed in Guanajuato, México, went to work in the fields; from the contracting center he was transported …