Gabriel Martínez Angel

Title

Gabriel Martínez Angel

Description

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Gabriel Martínez Ángel was born in San Martín Texmelucan, Puebla, México, on March 24, 1938; his uncles worked as braceros in the late forties, which ultimately inspired him to do the same; in 1960, he enlisted in the bracero program, and he worked in California, Colorado, Michigan, and Texas, picking beans, beets, cucumbers, strawberries, and tomatoes; in 1970, he obtained a visa, which was later taken away from him, but he was able to help the rest of his family legally emigrate to the United States.

Summary of Interview: Mr. Martínez briefly recalls his family and childhood; his uncles worked as braceros in the late forties, which ultimately inspired him to do the same; in 1960, he enlisted in the bracero program; he describes the entire process he went through both in México and in the United States, including obtaining his military ID card, getting his name on the county’s list of available workers, physical examinations, and being deloused; as a bracero he worked in California, Colorado, Michigan, and Texas, picking beans, beets, cucumbers, strawberries, and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the various worksites, duties, contract lengths, payments, deductions, housing, living amenities, provisions, remittances, and recreational activities; moreover, he relates how there were occasional problems and confrontations among workers and between workers and foremen; he also talks about celebrating Mexican holidays among themselves; Texas was the worst place for him to work, because they were treated like animals there; while working as a bracero people offered to help him gain legal status, but it never happened; consequently, he mentions that the political situation under Díaz Ordaz factored into his inability to gain legal status; he stayed in México until 1970, when he entered the United States with a visa, and he was also able to obtain visas for the rest of his family; later, he had his visa taken away from him and was sent back to México, at which point he returned to the United States illegally; he concludes by stating that the bracero program was a positive experience, because in México he did not have as many possibilities to make the same kind of money.

Creator

Ubeda, Edwin R.
Martínez Angel, Gabriel

Date

2005-09-01

Subject

Bracero

Contributor

Cristóbal Borges

Rights

Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso

Language

spa

title (Spanish)

Gabriel Martínez Angel

creator (Spanish)

Ubeda, Edwin R.

contributor (Spanish)

Cristóbal A. Borges

Rights Holder

Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso

Original Format

Mini Disc

Duration

1:04:56

Bit Rate/Frequency

24 bit
96 k

Interviewer

Ubeda, Edwin R.

Interviewee

Martínez Angel, Gabriel

Location

Chicago, Illinois

File Name Identifier

Martinez_Angel_CHIC015

Citation

Ubeda, Edwin R. and Martínez Angel, Gabriel, “Gabriel Martínez Angel,” Bracero History Archive, accessed March 29, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/items/show/176.