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Articles 2641 - 2670 of 5520

Full-Text Articles in Oral History

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. 1202, Jesus Aceves Gutierres May 2006

Interview No. 1202, Jesus Aceves Gutierres

Combined Interviews

Mr. Aceves Gutierres recalls his childhood in Tototlán, Jalisco, México; he explains that his father was a wealthy man, and that his mother educated him; at age eleven, he began working in agriculture; he remembers joining the bracero program in 1957 and traveling to Empalme, Sonora, México for his contract; moreover, he relates what the contracting process was like, how he was treated by officials, and what physical exams he was given; he describes being taken to the border in trucks, and how he was deloused in El Centro, California; he expresses felling humiliated during this process; furthermore, he explains …

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Interview No. 1203, Jose Aguilar May 2006

Interview No. 1203, Jose Aguilar

Combined Interviews

Mr. Aguilar talks about his hometown and what life was growing up working in agriculture with his family; he recalls that his father and two of his brothers were bracero workers; in 1954, he came to work illegally to the United States; in 1959 he officially went through the process of being a bracero; he briefly describes the hiring process, including the harsh conditions they had to endure and the medical examinations; as a bracero he completed several contracts where he labored in lettuce, beetroot, green beans, tomato, and cucumber fields, in Arizona, and different cities in California; in addition, …

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Interview No. 1204, Juan Aguilar Lopes May 2006

Interview No. 1204, Juan Aguilar Lopes

Combined Interviews

Mr. Aguilar Lopes remembers his childhood growing up in Jiquilpan, Michoacán, México; he states he worked from an early age in agriculture, resulting in him never attending a formal school; as an adult, he taught himself to read and write, and his wife helped him learn to manage his finances; in 1950, he entered the United States as an undocumented worker, and shortly thereafter decided to join the bracero program; he explains he was contracted the first time in Mexicali, Baja California, México and details what the contracting process was like; specifically, he describes how officials performed medical exams, which …

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Interview No. 1205, Agustín Alvarez May 2006

Interview No. 1205, Agustín Alvarez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Alvarez remembers his childhood in Los Volcanes, Jalisco, México, and growing up with his mother and grandparents; he states that he only completed three years of formal school, because he started working in agriculture at an early age; after the death of his aunt, he remembers how his mother moved his family to Mexicali, Baja California, México to help his uncle; he recalls learning about the bracero program while living there; in 1960, he joined the bracero program; he describes how he was contracted in Empalme, Sonora, México, what the process was like there, and how he was later …

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Interview No. 1208, Efraín Benítez Satana May 2006

Interview No. 1208, Efraín Benítez Satana

Combined Interviews

Mr. Benítez Satana remembers his childhood in Cutzamala de Pinzón, Guerrero, México; he states that he grew up with two siblings; in 1952, he decided to join the bracero program due to economic need; he explains that he was contracted in Monterey, Nuevo Leon, México and then sent to Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; moreover, he outlines what the process was like to be contracted in the Irapuato center and then sent via train to the United States-México border; he remembers being deloused at the border and how he was then transported to his worksite; furthermore, he recalls that his first contract …

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Interview No. 1207, Mario P. Beltran May 2006

Interview No. 1207, Mario P. Beltran

Combined Interviews

Mr. Beltran talks about his family and hometown; he and his older brother had to work to support their family, because their father was too old to work; in 1954, his economic situation led to his decision to enlist in the bracero program; he describes the entire process he underwent in Mexicali, Baja California, México, including medical exams, delousing procedures and extremely long waiting lines; from there he was transported to El Centro, California, where some men had to wait up to five days before getting chosen to work; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona and …

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Interview No. 1217, Anselmo Gamez May 2006

Interview No. 1217, Anselmo Gamez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Gamez briefly talks about his family and childhood; initially, he learned about the bracero program through word of mouth, because people were often given the necessary credentials for the program in town; he went through contracting centers in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and Empalme, Sonora; while in Empalme, a representative from an American company was there to recruit workers; he also describes the journey from the centers to the border; as a bracero he worked primarily in California picking cantaloupe, cotton, dates, and lettuce, and he also used to water the crops; he goes on to detail the various worksites, duties, …

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Interview No. 1210, Gregorio Canseco May 2006

Interview No. 1210, Gregorio Canseco

Combined Interviews

Mr. Canseco talks about several of his family members serving in the bracero program; in 1948, he also enlisted in the program out of necessity; he went through contracting centers in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Irapuato, Guanajuato and Empalme, Sonora, México; in Chihuahua, soldiers kept order at the center, and if the men did not follow instructions, they were beaten; they suffered greatly just to be braceros, including being stripped, medically examined and deloused; although he went to the centers with family and friends, they were inevitably separated; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arkansas, California …

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Interview No. 1219, Manuel Garcia May 2006

Interview No. 1219, Manuel Garcia

Combined Interviews

Mr. Garcia briefly discusses his family and how he grew up very poor; working in México he earned one to two pesos a day, which was not enough; they suffered greatly, because there was not always enough for everyone to eat; even their animals started dying; he wanted to be a bracero, like his father, but he was too young at the time; in 1956, Manuel married, and he and his wife later went on to have five boys and two girls; when he was eighteen years old, in 1959, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and join …

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Interview No. 1214, Alfonso Ceja May 2006

Interview No. 1214, Alfonso Ceja

Combined Interviews

Mr. Ceja briefly mentions his family; in 1954, he traveled to Mexicali, Baja California, México to enlist in the bracero program; in addition, he went through contracting centers in Hermosillo and Empalme, Sonora, and Irapuato, Guanajuato, but he was not always able to get a contract; he also describes the transportation from the centers to border towns and how he was treated badly upon being physically examined and deloused; oftentimes the men would faint when blood samples were collected, because they were so weak and malnourished; as a bracero he worked mainly in California, where his primary job was to …

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Interview No. 1215, Leonardo Chavira Carrillo May 2006

Interview No. 1215, Leonardo Chavira Carrillo

Combined Interviews

Mr. Chavira briefly mentions his family; in 1948, he came to the United States as an undocumented worker, but he was later able to work for the same employer through the bracero program, and yet again later when he permanently immigrated; he initially paid a coyote to help him go through the process at the contracting center in Irapuato, Guanajuato; in addition, he later went to centers in Empalme, Sonora, and Mexicali, Baja California; he also describes the physical examinations he underwent while at these centers and transportation from there to the border; while in the program he worked in …

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Interview No. 1218, José García Díaz May 2006

Interview No. 1218, José García Díaz

Combined Interviews

Mr. García briefly mentions his family and childhood; he talks about how difficult it was to find work in México and how oftentimes it was not enough to support a family; in 1954, he traveled to Mexicali, Baja California, and enlisted in the bracero program; while there, he had to present his military ID card and pass the physical exams; upon arriving in the United States, he was examined again and fumigated; as a bracero his primary job was picking dates and caring for palm trees, in Coachella and Indio, California; he goes on to describe the various worksites, duties, …

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Interview No. 1227, Guillermo C. Manzo May 2006

Interview No. 1227, Guillermo C. Manzo

Combined Interviews

Mr. Cervantes recalls his family and childhood; initially, the thought of working as a bracero was intimidating to him, because he knew how hard the work would be; when he was eighteen he traveled to Empalme, Sonora, México, with his father to enlist in the bracero program, but he became ill and had to go back home; in 1959, he returned to Empalme and began the contracting process; from Empalme he was transported by train to Mexicali, Baja California; oftentimes, he was treated poorly when he underwent physical exams and delousing procedures; he goes on to describe the various worksites, …

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Interview No. 1224, J. Cruz Gonzalez May 2006

Interview No. 1224, J. Cruz Gonzalez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Gonzalez talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; in 1947, he learned about the bracero program and decided to enlist; he describes the contracting process he underwent, including medical exams and fumigation procedures, as well as the centers he went through in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and Mexicali, Baja California, México; once he obtained a contract under a different name and was sent back, because they recognized who he was; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, California and New Mexico, picking alfalfa, beets, cotton, lettuce, pears, plums and tomatoes; he completed …

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Interview No. 1235, Vicente Nuñez Morales May 2006

Interview No. 1235, Vicente Nuñez Morales

Combined Interviews

Mr. Nuñez talks about deciding to join the bracero program, because he could earn more money, which would go further in México; in order to get the necessary documents to enlist, he had to pick cotton for fifteen days; he then went through the contracting center in Mexicali, Baja California, México; later, he also went through the center in Empalme, Sonora, México; as part of the process he was medically examined; as a bracero, he completed a total of four contracts, and he labored in the fields of California, planting and picking lemons, peaches, tomatoes and watermelons; he goes on …

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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. 1238, Jose V. Perez May 2006

Interview No. 1238, Jose V. Perez

Combined Interviews

Mr. Perez talks about his family and what his life was like growing up; moreover, he offers several anecdotes about his life in México; during the mid-1940s, he worked in the United States without proper documentation before learning about the bracero program; in 1956, he decided to enlist in the program; he describes the centers he went though in Monterrey, Nuevo León and Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, where he paid five hundred pesos to go through the process more quickly; from the center he was transported by cargo train to the border in El Paso, Texas; he was also stripped, medically …

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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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