Gonzalo Soto Núñez
Title
Gonzalo Soto Núñez
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Gonzalo Soto was born in San Pedro de Azafranes, Durango, México; he was the fourth of eleven siblings; at age eight, he started working in agriculture to help his father; at age seventeen, he decided to cross the México/United States border to acquire work as an undocumented laborer; in 1954, he joined the bracero program and worked in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas; there, he picked and irrigated carrots, cotton, lettuce, limes, potatoes, and tomatoes; he performed these duties until 1963.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Soto grew up in Otáez, Durango, México; in 1954, he joined the bracero program; he worked in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas; recalling the hiring process, he discusses the contracting center in Mexicali, Baja California, México; he describes the medical exams performed by Mexican and American doctors, and the bracero reception center in El Centro, California; additionally, he remembers their daily activities, their housing, the food they ate and their curfew; he also details the kinds of contracts they had, the wages they got, and the treatment they received from foremen; furthermore, he relates what the relationship between braceros was like, how they used interpreters on the farms, and the complaints brought up by braceros; he recounts the activities they engaged in during weekends, their hobbies, and how he sent money to his family in México; moreover, he explains his life after the program, why he decided to return to the U.S. as an undocumented worker, and the difficulty he had finding a job; he continues to discuss the time when he decided to move back to México and why he has positive memories of his experience as a bracero.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Soto grew up in Otáez, Durango, México; in 1954, he joined the bracero program; he worked in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas; recalling the hiring process, he discusses the contracting center in Mexicali, Baja California, México; he describes the medical exams performed by Mexican and American doctors, and the bracero reception center in El Centro, California; additionally, he remembers their daily activities, their housing, the food they ate and their curfew; he also details the kinds of contracts they had, the wages they got, and the treatment they received from foremen; furthermore, he relates what the relationship between braceros was like, how they used interpreters on the farms, and the complaints brought up by braceros; he recounts the activities they engaged in during weekends, their hobbies, and how he sent money to his family in México; moreover, he explains his life after the program, why he decided to return to the U.S. as an undocumented worker, and the difficulty he had finding a job; he continues to discuss the time when he decided to move back to México and why he has positive memories of his experience as a bracero.
Creator
Martínez, Laureano
Soto Núñez, Gonzalo
Date
2003-06-03
Subject
Bracero
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
spa
title (Spanish)
Gonzalo Soto Núñez
creator (Spanish)
Martínez, Laureano
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Online Submission
No
Original Format
Mini Disc
Duration
1:49:00
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit
96 k
96 k
Interviewer
Martínez, Laureano
Interviewee
Soto Núñez, Gonzalo
Location
Durango, Durango, México
File Name Identifier
Soto_Nuñez_DGO031
Citation
Martínez, Laureano and Soto Núñez, Gonzalo, “Gonzalo Soto Núñez,” Bracero History Archive, accessed May 7, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/es/items/show/197.