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Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Alberto Montes was born on September 14, 1928, in Huejuquilla el Alto, Jalisco, México; he is the oldest of eight siblings; he never attended formal schooling, and began working in agriculture at age eleven; in 1953, he enlisted in the bracero program; he worked in New Mexico picking cotton.


Summary of Interview: Mr. Montes recalls growing up in Huejuquilla el Alto, Jalisco, México with seven siblings; he states that at age eleven he began working in agriculture; he explains that he heard about the bracero program in 1952, and decided to enlist in 1953; additionally, he details what the hiring process was like in Empalme, Sonora, México; he describes what the medical exams were like, the process he went through, and his trip to the border; furthermore, he remembers working in New Mexico picking cotton, and what his daily work day was like; he presents what food braceros had, what their living arrangements were like, and how they were treated; moreover, he recounts the discrimination he experienced; he concludes by stating that he has fond memories of the program, and that after repeated trips to the United States, he decided to stay in San Jose, California.

Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Servando Peñaloza was born in Guayameo, Guerrero, México; he worked in agriculture from the age of six; at the age of nineteen, he moved to Mexico City, México; he joined the bracero program in 1955 with his brother, and worked in Arizona and California; there he picked broccoli, celery, green beans, lemons, lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes.


Summary of Interview: Mr. Peñaloza recalls growing up in Guayameo, Guerrero, México, and working in agriculture from an early age; he remembers moving to Mexico City, México at age nineteen, and working at the Chapultepec Castle; additionally, he relates that he had to take care of his younger brother during this time; he states that he joined the bracero program in 1955 with an older brother, and worked in Arizona and California picking broccoli, celery, green beans, lemons, lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes; furthermore, he describes the hiring process, his time at the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México, and the contracts he signed; he discusses what daily life was like on the bracero camps, the work they did, and the trips they took into town; moreover, he explains his decision to move back to México after he left the program, and what he labored at.

Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Rodolfo Cruz was born near Mexico City, México; he was the oldest of six siblings; at an early age, he worked in agriculture; at the age of sixteen, he moved to Miacatlán, Morelos, México; he joined the bracero program in 1946, and worked in California, Oregon, Texas, and Wyoming; there he picked apricots, broccoli, carrots, cotton, lemons, lettuce, onions, oranges, parsley, potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes.


Summary of Interview: Mr. Cruz recalls growing up near México City, México, and working in agriculture; he remembers moving to Miacatlán, Morelos, México at the age of sixteen, and joining the Bracero Program in 1946; as a bracero, he worked in California, Oregon, Texas, and Wyoming picking apricots, broccoli, carrots, cotton, lemons, lettuce, onions, oranges, parsley, potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes; he describes the hiring process he went through, his experiences at the contracting centers in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México, and Empalme, Sonora, México, and the medical exams he endured; additionally, he details what daily life was like for braceros, what food and housing they were given, and the treatment they got from foremen; he relates an instance when he had problems with a Mexican-American foreman, and the discrimination the man had towards Mexicans; furthermore, he explains how he saved money for the future, and why many braceros did not do the same; he discusses what he did for recreation, and how he liked traveling during weekends; moreover, he states that being a bracero was a positive experience for him, and that it helped him buy his house and the land he still works on.

Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Patricio Corrales was born in San Mateo Atenco, México, México; at the age of ten, he began cutting wood and sowing corn with his father; later, he worked in construction and in factories; due to his families economic situation, he joined the bracero program in 1952; he worked in California and Texas picking carrots, cotton, cucumbers, grapefruits, lemons, and oranges.


Summary of Interview: Mr. Corrales recalls growing up in San Mateo Atenco, México, México, and how he worked from the age of ten cutting wood and sowing corn with his father; he remembers laboring in construction and factory work, and how his family’s poverty pushed him to join the bracero program in 1952; additionally, he describes the hiring process at the contracting centers in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México and Empalme, Sonora, México, and the hardships braceros endured there; he states that he worked in California and Texas picking carrots, cotton, cucumbers, grapefruits, lemons, and oranges; furthermore, he details what daily life was like on the farms, the kind of housing and furniture braceros had, the curfew they were forced to follow, and the treatment they received from foremen; he explains what they did during weekends, and how they sent money back to México; moreover, he discusses the shock he experienced living in a new country; he also outlines the differences he saw between Mexican and Mexican-Americans workers, and the benefits the United States economy received from the braceros; he concludes by presenting the positives of having worked as a bracero, and the way the experience helped him and his family.

Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Miguel Zavala was born on June 9, 1925, in Copandaro, Michoacan, México; at an early age, he began sowing beans, corn, garbanzos, and wheat; he joined the bracero program in 1955, and worked in California and Texas; there, he picked asparagus, cotton, grapes, lemons, limes, peppers, strawberries and tomatoes.


Summary of Interview: Mr. Zavala recalls growing up in Agua Caliente, Michoacan, México, and working from an early age sowing beans, corn, garbanzos, and wheat; he joined the bracero program in 1955, and remembers picking asparagus, cotton, grapes, lemons, limes, peppers, strawberries and tomatoes in California and Texas; additionally, he describes the hiring process in rural areas, the bribes he had to pay to be on a selection list, his experience at the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México, and the long waits there; he details the hardships braceros suffered waiting to be contracted, the humiliation of the medical exams, and the bad treatment they received from doctors; furthermore, he discusses the daily activities on the farms, their working hours, the bad food they were given, and the treatment they received from foremen; he explains the different contracts he had, and the extensions he got; moreover, he relates what braceros did on weekends, how they sent money back to México, and the kind of mail they received; he also states the complaints braceros had; to conclude, he recounts the way he missed his family while in the program, the bad treatment braceros received, the negative memories he has of the program, and why he decided never to return to the United States for work.

Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Miguel Arroyo Castillo was born on August 15, 1916, in Tarimoro, Guanajuato, México; he has four sisters and two brothers; as a boy, he learned how to work the land; during the early1920s, his father would come to the United States to work, but he died when Miguel was roughly eight years old; shortly thereafter, his family moved to México, Distrito Federal; in 1943, he obtained his first bracero contract, and he continued working with the program until 1947, laboring in the fields and on the railroad tracks.

Summary of Interview: Mr. Arroyo speaks at length about his family, childhood, and adolescence; after his father died, his family moved to México Distrito Federal, with an older sister; while there, he began working as a baker, and he later continued to do so between bracero contract; in 1943, he learned about the bracero program as he was passing by a stadium where contracting was taking place; he decided to enlist in the program, rather than make his debut as a boxer, because he wanted to know what life was like in the United States; after passing physical examinations, he was transported by train to California; he explains that at the time, many people thought they were going to fight in the war; as a bracero, he worked on the railroads in California, and in the fields of Idaho and Wisconsin; oftentimes, government officials would visit the camps to check up on the braceros and ensure that they were treated well; he goes on to chronicle how he traveled to different worksites, the various campsites, daily routines, duties, housing, provisions, treatment, payments, deductions, remittances, and recreational activities; in addition, he states that as a railroad worker in California, he was given a Social Security number and deductions were accordingly taken from his salary; moreover, while working there he became dehydrated and was allowed to go home to recuperate before returning to California; he also recalls that during his free time in Idaho, he and other braceros paid 35¢ to watch Mexican movies.

Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Manuel Sandoval was born in Mexico City, México; he was the oldest of four brothers; at the age of ten, his father left the family; in his youth, he worked as a street vendor, a factory employee, and a mechanic; he joined the bracero program in 1943, and worked in Kansas as a railroad line worker.


Summary of Interview: Mr. Sandoval recalls growing up in Mexico City, México, and working from an early age as a street vendor, a factory employee, and a mechanic; he joined the bracero program in 1943, and worked in Kansas as a railroad line worker; he describes the hiring process in Mexico City, México, the help he received, the medical exams he endured, and the contract he signed; additionally, he discusses the long train trip to Kansas, and the feelings of uncertainty the braceros felt; he explains what daily life was like in Kansas, how the work was carried out, the housing they had, the food they ate, and the atmosphere at his work; furthermore, he relates what braceros did during weekends, what hobbies they had, and how they took trips into town; he also states that braceros experienced various acts of racism during those trips, and that they were sent back to México at the end of World War II; to conclude, he explains that he did not like the United States, why he feels the bracero played an essential role in that period of U.S. history, how the program helped him see the world differently, and why his memories of the program are pleasant.

Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Manuel Guzmán was born in Uriangato, Guanajuato, México; from an early age, he worked sowing corn, garbanzo beans, and wheat; as a teenager, he crossed into the United States to work as an undocumented worker; he was deported from the U.S., and returned to México where he worked in farms; in 1957, he joined the bracero program; he worked in Arizona and California picking grapefruits, green beans, lemons, lettuce, oranges, plums, strawberries, and tomatoes; he did these activities until 1964.


Summary of Interview: Mr. Guzmán recalls growing up in Uriangato, Guanajuato, México, and sowing corn, garbanzo beans, and wheat at an early age; he also remembers crossing into the United States as a teenager to labor as an undocumented worker; additionally, he discusses how he joined the bracero program in 1957, and what his trip to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México was like; he describes the different steps he went through to sign a contract, what it was like at the reception center in El Centro, California, the medical exams he endured, and the way clauses in his contract were explained; as a bracero, he worked in Arizona and California picking grapefruits, green beans, lemons, lettuce, oranges, plums, strawberries, and tomatoes; furthermore, he relates his daily activities on the farms, and how they were treated by foremen and ranchers; he explains that he had different contracts, and that taxes were deducted from their wages; moreover, he recounts how braceros sent money back to México, the mail they received, what they did during weekends, and the common complaints they had; he concludes by expressing the difference between working as a bracero and being an undocumented worker.

Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Liborio Santiago was born on June 23, 1924, in Etla, Oaxaca, México; he was the oldest of three brothers; at age of twelve, he became an orphan, and was adopted by an aunt; there, he was forced to work in the family bakery; in 1944, he joined the bracero program; he worked in California, Idaho, and Texas picking cotton, lettuce, onions, and sugar beets.


Summary of Interview: Mr. Santiago recalls growing up in Etla, Oaxaca, México, and being adopted by an aunt after his parents died; he remembers being forced to work in his aunt’s bakery; in 1944, he joined the bracero program; he states that he worked in California, Idaho, and Texas picking cotton, lettuce, onions, and sugar beets; additionally, he explains how he heard about the program, what the hiring process was like, and what he experienced at the contracting centers in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México and Empalme, Sonora, México; he recounts the physical exams he endured, and the long train trip he had to take to El Paso, Texas and California; furthermore, he describes what daily life was like on the farms, the housing and food they had, and how they were treated by foremen; he details what different contracts he had, and what he had to do when his contract expired; moreover, he discusses what braceros did during weekends, and how they sent money back to México; he also recounts the complaints braceros had, their concerns about World War II, how they listened to the radio together for news, and the import contribution they made to the United States war effort; to conclude, he presents what the benefits of being a bracero were, and how it helped him and his family have a better life.

Description:

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: José Guevara-Rodríguez was born in Cerro Colorado, Guanajuato, México; at an early age, he worked sowing beans and corn to help his family; at the age of eighteen, he traveled to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, and crossed into the United States to labor as an undocumented worker; he became a bracero in 1949, and worked in California, Missouri, Montana, and Texas picking and harvesting asparagus, corn, cotton, lettuce, strawberries, and sugar beets; he did these activities until 1964.


Summary of Interview: Mr. Guevara-Rodríguez recalls growing up in Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, México, and sowing beans and corn from the age of eight; he relates how, when he was eighteen, he traveled to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, and later crossed into the United States to work as an undocumented laborer; additionally, he recounts being hired by a rancher in Texas, and taken to the border to become a bracero; he describes the hiring process in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México and Empalme, Sonora, México, how braceros slept in the streets before being hired, the medical test they got, and the disinfection process they endured; furthermore, he discusses daily life on the farms, the wages they received, and the treatment from foremen; he also states what complaints braceros had, and how representatives from the Mexican consulate visited them to hear their complaints and help resolve them; moreover, he explains what braceros did on weekends, the visits they took into town, and the card games they played; he concludes by expressing his feelings about the program, how he remembers it with much sadness and sorrow, and why he decided to stay in México.