Perfecto Márquez

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Perfecto Márquez was born in Villa Aldama, Chihuahua, México, in 1936; in 1957, he traveled to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, to begin the hiring process; he worked in the cotton fields of New Mexico and Texas.

Summary of Interview: When Mr. Márquez was hired as a bracero in 1957, he was married and had two children; as part of the hiring process, he and a group of other braceros were physically examined while in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; upon being hired, they were then transported from there to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and were not allowed to bring any personal belongings with them; they were physically examined again in El Paso, Texas and in Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; while in Rio Vista, the Mexican Counsel spoke with the braceros about what was expected of them, and the directions they were to follow if any problems arose; while working in New Mexico, Mr. Márquez never encountered any problems because the rancher he worked for was a very good and kind man; he was paid $1.55 per pound of cotton that he picked; there were twenty-seven braceros living in the same barracks; during their free time, they liked to go to the movies; he recalls that in Texas, there were roughly about 700 braceros that encountered several problems.

Parra-Mantilla, Myrna

Márquez, Perfecto

2003-03-30

Parra-Mantilla, Myrna, "Perfecto Márquez." Bracero History Archive, Item #26 (accessed January 07 2009, 4:26 pm)