Esther Garnica
Title
Esther Garnica
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Jesús Garnica was born July 4, 1929, in Tasco, Guerrero, México, and Esther Garnica was born on August 23, 1934 in Villa Corona, Jalisco, México; Esther came from a family with eight siblings, while Jesús was the oldest of three; Esther’s father was a bracero; they met in Mexicali while Jesús was a bracero in the Imperial Valley, California; in 1959, they moved to Blythe, California after getting their residency papers; they stayed in the U.S. with their nine children, and Esther became a U.S. citizen in 1990.
Summary of Interview: Mr. and Mrs. Garnica remember their childhood and how they moved to Mexicali; they recall their courtship, wedding, and their life while Jesús worked as a bracero; furthermore, they recount how he was hired as a special contract in Calexico, how he didn’t have to travel to Empalme or go through the fumigation process, and how he worked with the same company; they describe how braceros were fumigated out in the open where everyone could see, and how people laughed because they did not know what was going on; moreover, Jesús relates a time when he was treated badly by a foreman for being a special contract, and how he and other special contract braceros were sent away from the farm; he continues to state that he contacted the Mexican consulate and that at first they did not believe them, but eventually they helped and sent the braceros to a different farm; they express how they moved to Blythe, California after becoming residents, what life was like on the ranches there, how braceros work alongside undocumented workers and Filipinos; to conclude, they state that life in the bracero program was very hard and full of hardships, but that they are glad they were able to better their lives.
Summary of Interview: Mr. and Mrs. Garnica remember their childhood and how they moved to Mexicali; they recall their courtship, wedding, and their life while Jesús worked as a bracero; furthermore, they recount how he was hired as a special contract in Calexico, how he didn’t have to travel to Empalme or go through the fumigation process, and how he worked with the same company; they describe how braceros were fumigated out in the open where everyone could see, and how people laughed because they did not know what was going on; moreover, Jesús relates a time when he was treated badly by a foreman for being a special contract, and how he and other special contract braceros were sent away from the farm; he continues to state that he contacted the Mexican consulate and that at first they did not believe them, but eventually they helped and sent the braceros to a different farm; they express how they moved to Blythe, California after becoming residents, what life was like on the ranches there, how braceros work alongside undocumented workers and Filipinos; to conclude, they state that life in the bracero program was very hard and full of hardships, but that they are glad they were able to better their lives.
Creator
Loza, Mireya
Garnica, Esther
Date
2006-05-22
Contributor
Cristóbal Borges
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
spa
Relation
Jesús Garnica
title (Spanish)
Esther Garnica
creator (Spanish)
Loza, Mireya
contributor (Spanish)
Cristóbal A. Borges
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Original Format
Mini disc
Duration
1:09:32
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit
96 k
96 k
Interviewer
Loza, Mireya
Interviewee
Garnica, Esther
Location
Blythe, CA
File Name Identifier
Garnica_BLY010
Citation
Loza, Mireya and Garnica, Esther, “Esther Garnica,” Bracero History Archive, accessed May 2, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/items/show/292.