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Combined Interviews

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Articles 661 - 690 of 1746

Full-Text Articles in Oral History

Interview No. 963, Nicolás Carreón Vega Mar 2003

Interview No. 963, Nicolás Carreón Vega

Combined Interviews

Mr. Carreón briefly recounts his childhood; he focuses on his time in the United States as a bracero from 1953 until the mid 1960s; he discusses work contracts and the possibilities under which a mica card could be obtained; he worked in the cotton fields of Texas and New Mexico, the beet fields of Colorado, and on ranches in Arizona as well; while working in Artesia, New Mexico, he caught pneumonia and was hospitalized for a month; in 1955, he worked without a contract in Pecos, Texas, was caught and sent to jail; in 1958, the cotton field he worked …

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Interview No. 977, Manuela Márquez Flores Mar 2003

Interview No. 977, Manuela Márquez Flores

Combined Interviews

Mr. Márquez traveled to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, in order to begin the hiring process; he recalls that there were thousands of people from cities all over México waiting to be hired as braceros; because many of them did not have any money, they looked for food in trash cans; Mr. Márquez was hired as a bracero when he was twenty-seven years old; he also remembers that at Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, whenever a potential bracero was turned away due to illness, the rest of the braceros would collect money for that man so he could return …

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Interview No. 978, Perfecto Márquez Mar 2003

Interview No. 978, Perfecto Márquez

Combined Interviews

When Mr. Márquez was hired as a bracero in 1957, he was married and had two children; as part of the hiring process, he and a group of other braceros were physically examined while in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; upon being hired, they were then transported from there to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and were not allowed to bring any personal belongings with them; they were physically examined again in El Paso, Texas and in Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; while in Rio Vista, the Mexican Counsel spoke with the braceros about what was expected of them, and the …

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Interview No. 979, Noberto Mata Baylón Mar 2003

Interview No. 979, Noberto Mata Baylón

Combined Interviews

When Mr. Baylón was only sixteen years old, he worked in the United States illegally; in order to cross into the United States, he walked through the mountains, which took him an entire day to do; in 1956, he went to El Trocadero, a processing center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, to begin the hiring process; he paid the security officer in order to get a good place in line while waiting to be hired; in Pecos, Texas, he had very bad experiences because the wages were too low and there was too much work to be done; in addition, there …

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Interview No. 1135, Anastacio Montalvo Mar 2003

Interview No. 1135, Anastacio Montalvo

Combined Interviews

Mr. Montalvo briefly recalls his childhood and the Cristero War, which took place during that time; later, in 1942, he began the hiring process for the Bracero Program in Querétaro, México, using someone else’s name; while there, he was medically examined and then sent to the border by train; upon arriving at the reception center, he and other braceros saw movies that gave them information regarding their rights and obligations; he describes his first job in the United States, which was hammering the rail road tracks in California, and his second job, which was picking cotton in Texas; in addition, …

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Interview No. 1143, Manuel Vazquez Mar 2003

Interview No. 1143, Manuel Vazquez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Vazquez briefly recalls his childhood; in 1945, he was hired as a bracero, and taken to work in El Paso, Texas; the only requirement for him to work was his Mexican military I.D. card; he recalls that representative from the Mexican consulate approved the work contracts for the braceros, but they denied renewals for those who had already been contracted three or four times; because of this, he often had to return to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, in order to obtain new work permits; upon passing through the Stanton Bridge in El Paso, Texas, he and other braceros were often examined …

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Interview No. 1142, Gregorio Trejo Mar 2003

Interview No. 1142, Gregorio Trejo

Combined Interviews

Mr. Trejo very briefly recalls his childhood; when he was nine years old, he and his family moved to Plateros, Zacatecas, México; from there they moved to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, before returning to Zacatecas; because one of the recruiting and contracting centers was in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, he was aware of the Bracero Program; he recalls that the governor of Zacatecas did not want workers from the cities of Fresnillo or Plateros to be hired as braceros because there was plenty of work for them to stay and do in the mines; in spite of this, he managed to have his …

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Interview No. 1666, Dolorez Rivera Mar 2003

Interview No. 1666, Dolorez Rivera

Combined Interviews

Dolorez Rivera was born on June 15, 1932; her older sister is Andrea Villalba and baby sister is Maria Urquieta Molinar. Rivera and Villalba are both widowers, at the age of fifteen Mrs. Villalba worked in the big house, cleaning and cooking, she recalls receiving hair pins as gifts from Mrs. Craft; Mrs. Rivera attended Perry School in Terlingua, TX. She recalls learning to sing and play the guitar; she performed at church and home; for fun she used catalog cut outs to play dolls, walked in the woods, played baseball, marbles and jacks with friends; she remembers wanting a …

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Interview No. 1260, Antonio García Mar 2003

Interview No. 1260, Antonio García

Combined Interviews

Mr. García recalls his childhood and family; he went to school through the fourth grade, and he quit school at the age of thirteen in order to work; when he was seventeen, he decided to enlist in the Bracero Program; although he was not yet of age, he arranged for his military ID card to state that he was eighteen years old in order to begin the hiring process; he goes on to describe what the contracting center in Durango, Durango, México was like; his first contract took him to work in the cotton fields of Texas; he describes what …

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Interview No. 1583, Julius Lowenberg Mar 2003

Interview No. 1583, Julius Lowenberg

Combined Interviews

Mr. Lowenberg briefly describes his family; after graduating from high school, he worked for the South Pacific Railroad as a machinist apprentice; he later came to work for the Public Health Office at the Stanton Bridge in El Paso, and at Rio Vista, a bracero processing center in Socorro, Texas; despite the fact that he had little training, his primary duties involved taking x-rays of the braceros as they were coming into the United States; he describes what he did for each location, what a typical work day was like, and the medical examinations and the delousing process the braceros …

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Interview No. 1013, Loreto Martínez Villegas Mar 2003

Interview No. 1013, Loreto Martínez Villegas

Combined Interviews

Mr. Martínez recalls his first job cleaning grass from a pond for 25 cents, and his undocumented work in Brownsville, Texas; he remembers hearing about the Bracero Program over the radio in 1947; in 1954, he joined the program and worked in California, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; he describes the hiring process in the contracting centers of Monterrey, Nuevo León, México and Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; additionally, he discusses the medical exams he endured at Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; he recounts daily activities on farms, the different wages they received, and how work was performed; furthermore, he …

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Interview No. 1014, Anacleto Morales Franco Mar 2003

Interview No. 1014, Anacleto Morales Franco

Combined Interviews

Mr. Morales worked as a bracero from 1955 to 1964 in California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas; he recalls how he got his first bracero contract in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, and what the hiring process was like; furthermore, he states how much braceros had to pay to get a good spot in line outside of the contracting center, what it was like to go through the center, and the medical tests he was given; he describes his trip via cargo train to the border and his time at Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; additionally, he discusses the …

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Interview No. 1022, Cornelio Soto Ramírez Mar 2003

Interview No. 1022, Cornelio Soto Ramírez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Soto grew up in Otáez, Durango, México; economic hardship led him to leave the country in the 1950s; after working for two years at the México-U.S. border, he became a bracero in 1956; he describes how he survived in Empalme, Sonora, México while waiting to go through the processing center, how he got his first bracero contract, and his trip to the border; additionally, he explains the bracero hiring process, the medical exams he endured, the reception center in California, and his trip to a farm; he details their daily activities, their housing, their wages, their hobbies, and the …

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Interview No. 1011, Heriberto Martínez Díaz Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 994, José Ignacio Astorga Corral Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1128, Jose Gamez Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1129, Manuel Gamez Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1141, Emilio Solís Pallares Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1122, Jose E. Chavarría Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1667, Maria Zamarron Bermudez Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1132, Nereo Heredia L. Mar 2003

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, …

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Interview No. 1130, Ma. Julia G. Contreras Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1120, Isidro H. Buso Mar 2003

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, …

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Interview No. 1138, Fernando Rodríguez Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1125, Eduardo De Santiago Mar 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1137, Isidro M. Peña Feb 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1118, Rodolfo Aranda Morales Feb 2003

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, …

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Interview No. 1140, Carlos Sánchez Montoya Feb 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1124, Samuel Chavira Feb 2003

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 …

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Interview No. 1262, José Félix Prieto Feb 2003

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, …

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