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Oral History

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Articles 481 - 510 of 1185

Full-Text Articles in Oral History

Interview No. 1296, Rafael Hernández May 2006

Interview No. 1296, Rafael Hernández

Combined Interviews

In search for employment, Mr. Hernández traveled from San Luis Potosí to Hermosillo, Mexico where he found out about the bracero program; he was required to demonstrate that he was capable of picking cotton; he picked seven hundred kilos of cotton in fifteen days; he was given a letter which certified that he was a farm laborer and available for employment; he then traveled to the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he recalls that one of the requirements for the braceros was to have calloused hands; he and approximately 150 other men traveled by train from Hermosillo to Mexicali, …

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Interview No. 1292, Maria Luisa Chávez Vda. De Flores May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1298, Adelino López Gutiérrez May 2006

Interview No. 1298, Adelino López Gutiérrez

Combined Interviews

Mr. López describes the long lines and the actions taken by people in order to obtain an eligibility letter at Justo Sierra, Jalisco, Mexico; he traveled to the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he recalls the entire process, including lists of eligible workers, waiting times, and transportation; as part of the process, he was stripped and examined, which was embarrassing because their were women present; he traveled to the receiving center; he goes on to detail the camp size, living conditions, provisions, duties, payments, deductions, remittances, treatment, friendships, correspondence and recreational activities; he recalls the use of short-handled hoes …

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Interview No. 1300, Faustino Martínez May 2006

Interview No. 1300, Faustino Martínez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Martínez briefly recalls his childhood and the work that his father and mother did; he was in his hometown when he heard about the bracero program; he decided to enlist in the bracero program and went through the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he was stripped and medically examined; he details the harsh conditions he and other men endured while waiting there; he was sent by train to Mexicali; upon crossing into the United States, he was deloused and so were his luggage and clothing; he travelled by Greyhound bus to his first contract in the San Joaquin …

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Interview No. 1297, Jesús Humberto Félix Beltrán May 2006

Interview No. 1297, Jesús Humberto Félix Beltrán

Combined Interviews

Mr. Félix acquired his first bracero contract in 1954, which took him to El Centro, California; his first year was the hardest, because he did not know what to do or how to work quickly enough to earn a profit; oftentimes, men who were new ended up owing money after only one week of work; when his contract ended he was given a special workers card, which allowed him to pass through a contracting center in San Luis, Sonora, México, within a day; he also mentions that he was given vaccinations, without ever being told what they were for, and …

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Interview No. 1295, Adolfo González May 2006

Interview No. 1295, Adolfo González

Combined Interviews

In 1954, Mr. González went through the hiring process to become a bracero; he went through the contracting center in Mexicali, Mexico; he goes on to detail the camp size, living conditions, provisions, duties, payments, deductions, remittances, treatment, friendships, correspondence and recreational activities; he recalls working for Spanish-speaking Japanese foremen in Imperial Valley (1954-56) who did not give the braceros a day of rest; later, he asked for a transfer to another company; he was sent to work in the fields of Salinas and Yuma, California; he describes his workdays as very long and strenuous; he recalls using short-handled hoes; …

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Interview No. 1299, Carmen Lua May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1305, Santiago Navarro May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1302, Manuel Montes Robles May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1309, Francisco Plascencia Sandoval May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1311, Maria L. Ramos Terriquez May 2006

Interview No. 1311, Maria L. Ramos Terriquez

Combined Interviews

Maria L. Ramos Terriquez briefly recalls her childhood and the financial difficulties her family endured; her father was a bracero; he contracted in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; she discusses the remittances sent by her father to her grandmother; she states that her grandmother kept the money, opened a store, and did not help support her or her siblings; she states that her grandmother, Andrea, would make her wash her uncles clothing; in addition, she adds that her uncles were verbally and emotionally abusive; she graphically describes an event in which she encountered her mother feeding a woman with leprosy; she, her …

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Interview No. 1306, Juan E. Noriega May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1304, Rosa María Navarro May 2006

Interview No. 1304, Rosa María Navarro

Combined Interviews

Mrs. Navarro Quemé briefly recalls her childhood and the financial difficulties she and her family endured; at the age of five, she began picking cotton to supplement the family’s income; her mother took in laundry on the occasion that her father did not send money home while working as a bracero; Mrs. Navarro Quemé discusses the American Consul’s notification of her father’s hospitalization; she says that her father told them that the braceros were made to donate blood every eight days so that it could be sent to the soldiers fighting in WWII; she suspects that his illness was caused …

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Interview No. 1310, Enriqueta Quintero May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1314, Manuel Romero May 2006

Interview No. 1314, Manuel Romero

Combined Interviews

Mr. Manuel Romero talks about his hometown and working in agriculture and with livestock while growing up; he and his sisters were orphans; he was sent to live with his godfather; he details the harsh treatment he endured while living with his godfather; he owned several ranches in Mexicali, Mexico but he sold some of the land because he did not have water to irrigate; he briefly talks about U.S.- Mexico relations and irrigation; in 1954, he heard about a call for braceros; in 1957, he traveled to the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he details the harsh conditions …

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Interview No. 1315, Manuel Salamanca May 2006

Interview No. 1315, Manuel Salamanca

Combined Interviews

Mr. Manuel Salamanca recalls the humble beginnings of his childhood and how he and his siblings suffered; he discusses the advice his eldest brother gave him and his reasons for moving to the United States; Mr. Salamanca discusses the harsh treatment he endured at the hands of his sister-in-law; he went without food for several days because she did not want to raise him; in 1942, at the age of eighteen, he heard about a call for braceros; he traveled to the processing center in Mexicali, Mexico; he briefly discusses the processing center; as part of the process, he was …

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Interview No. 1319, Adolfo Valdez Verduzco May 2006

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, …

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Interview No. 1313, Daniel Rodríguez Rea May 2006

Interview No. 1313, Daniel Rodríguez Rea

Combined Interviews

Mr. Daniel Rodríguez Rea briefly talks about his hometown and working in agriculture; in 1949, he left his hometown and began working in the cotton fields of Texas; he eventually relocated to Mexicali, Mexico; in 1954, Mr. Daniel Rodríguez Rea went through the hiring process to become a bracero; he mentions going through the center of Mexicali, Mexico; he recalls the process was difficult and potential braceros were required to pay twenty-five dollars in order to get in line; he also describes the medical exams and required documents; as part of the process, he was medically examined and deloused in …

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Interview No. 1320, Juan Virgen Díaz May 2006

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, …

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Interview No. 1316, Alejandro S. Arredondo May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1318, Juan Topete May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1324, Tomás Pelayo May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1322, Antonio Molina Rodríguez May 2006

Interview No. 1322, Antonio Molina Rodríguez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Antonio Molina R. briefly recalls his childhood and the financial difficulties he and his family endured; when he was ten years old, he helped his family by working as a cobbler; in 1957, he and his wife traveled from Guadalajara to Mexicali, Mexico; in 1958, he traveled to the United States, in search of employment; his goal was to earn one thousand dollars and return to Guadalajara, Mexico to begin a contracting company; he met a representative from CROM and he enlisted in the bracero program; he traveled to the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he recalls the …

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Interview No. 1326, Roberto M. González May 2006

Interview No. 1326, Roberto M. González

Combined Interviews

Mr. Roberto M. González briefly recalls his family and childhood; after growing tired of working with his father, he traveled to Mexicali, Mexico with a friend; he heard about a call for braceros and decided to enlist; he recalls that one of the requirements for the braceros was to have calloused hands; he paid ten dollars in order to be added to the list of eligible workers; on another occasion, he was required to pick two thousand kilos of cotton in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico; he traveled to the processing center in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico; he was sent to El …

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Interview No. 1325, Antonio García B. May 2006

Interview No. 1325, Antonio García B.

Combined Interviews

Mr. Antonio García B. briefly recalls his childhood and the financial difficulties he and his siblings endured; he remembers hearing stories about the bracero program and he decided to enlist; in 1954, he went through the hiring process to become a bracero; he recalls the entire process, lists of eligible workers, waiting times, and transportation to and from the center; he recalls that one of the requirements for the braceros was to have calloused hands; in addition, he mentions going through the centers in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico; he also describes the medical exams and required documents; …

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Interview No. 1321, Alfredo Angulo Castro May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1290, José Mario Arredondo Salas May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1293, Manuel Chávez Romo May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1301, Bacelicia Meza De Peraza May 2006

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 …

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Interview No. 1303, Federico Navarro Duran May 2006

Interview No. 1303, Federico Navarro Duran

Combined Interviews

Mr. Navarro talks about his hometown and working in agriculture and with livestock while growing up; he married Ester and shortly thereafter he decided to enlist in the bracero program; Mr. Navarro discusses his family life in detail; he further discusses the death of his two young daughters; he went through the contracting center in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico; from there he travelled to a camp called Las Animas; from there, he was sent to Benjamin Hill; in addition, he mentions going through the contraction centers in Empalme Sonora, Mexico, Hermosillo, Mexico and Chihuahua, Mexico; as part of the process, he …

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