Ismael Chavira Lopez
Title
Ismael Chavira Lopez
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Ismael Chavira Lopez was born on June 17, 1925, in El Belduque, Valle de Zaragosa, Chihuahua, México, but he grew up in Julimes, Chihuahua; he was the eldest of five brothers; at the age of ten, he began helping his father with agricultural tasks; in 1953, he was hired as a bracero and continued working as such until 1964; he worked in New Mexico picking cotton and irrigating the fields.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Chavira briefly recounts his childhood; his first paying job was as a construction worker; in 1953, he went through the hiring process in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, to become a bracero; he chronicles the entire process, which began in a rural area of Chihuahua and ended with the medical examinations at Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; in addition, he describes the various processing center facilities, the length of contracts, and the conditions under which these contracts were extended; while working as a bracero, his daily activities included irrigating and picking cotton; he describes the wages he earned, the methods of payment, and how braceros would send money home to their families in México; in addition, he goes on to detail what the farms where he worked and lived were like, what kinds of food they cooked and ate, what their hobbies were, and how they often received permission from their employers to cross the border on weekends; furthermore, he concludes that he is very proud to have participated in the bracero program, and that it had a huge impact not only on his family, but on him as well.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Chavira briefly recounts his childhood; his first paying job was as a construction worker; in 1953, he went through the hiring process in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, to become a bracero; he chronicles the entire process, which began in a rural area of Chihuahua and ended with the medical examinations at Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; in addition, he describes the various processing center facilities, the length of contracts, and the conditions under which these contracts were extended; while working as a bracero, his daily activities included irrigating and picking cotton; he describes the wages he earned, the methods of payment, and how braceros would send money home to their families in México; in addition, he goes on to detail what the farms where he worked and lived were like, what kinds of food they cooked and ate, what their hobbies were, and how they often received permission from their employers to cross the border on weekends; furthermore, he concludes that he is very proud to have participated in the bracero program, and that it had a huge impact not only on his family, but on him as well.
Creator
Martinez, Laureano
Chavira Lopez, Ismael
Date
2003-02-21
Subject
Bracero
Contributor
Cristóbal Borges
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
spa
title (Spanish)
Ismael Chavira Lopez
creator (Spanish)
Martínez, Laureano
contributor (Spanish)
Cristóbal A. Borges
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Original Format
Mini Disc
Duration
59:35
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit
96 k
96 k
Interviewer
Martinez, Laureano
Interviewee
Chavira Lopez, Ismael
Location
Canutillo, Texas
File Name Identifier
Chavira_Lopez_ELP010
Citation
Martinez, Laureano and Chavira Lopez, Ismael, “Ismael Chavira Lopez,” Bracero History Archive, accessed April 19, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/items/show/59.