Dionisio Hernández Canchola
Title
Dionisio Hernández Canchola
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Dionisio Hernández Canchola was born in Jalisco, México, on April 13, 1931; sometime during the late fifties or early sixties, he enlisted in the bracero program; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California and Texas until the program ended in 1964; he married in 1970, and a year later his wife had their first child; by 1972, he and his family moved to Manuel Doblado, Guanajuato, México, and settled there.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Hernández recalls that sometime during the late fifties or early sixties, he enlisted in the bracero program, and he went through a contracting center in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; he comments that he went with one of his brothers-in-law, but they were separated during the x-ray portion of their processing; they did, however, meet up later while in the United States, and they picked cotton together; as a bracero, Dionisio labored in the fields of California and Texas until the program ended in 1964; he goes on to briefly recount the different worksites, housing, payment, treatment, and recreational activities; in addition, he describes working in Lamesa, Texas, and having to prepare his own meals, which was especially difficult, because he did not know anything about cooking; he also saw snow for the first time while in Texas; moreover, he explains that Hidalgo, Texas was the worst; there were about three hundred braceros there, and they were divided into smaller working groups; sometimes, they were not taken to the fields until 10:00 AM or 11:00 AM, at which point there was not much left to pick; eventually, by the early sixties, he had saved enough money to buy a car; he also explains that a group of braceros organized to demand better pay and appointed him their leader; in the end, they all backed out, but he refused to continue working for little pay, so he returned to México; he married in 1970, and a year later his wife had their first child; by 1972, he and his family moved to Manuel Doblado, Guanajuato, México, and settled there; his overall memories of the program are positive.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Hernández recalls that sometime during the late fifties or early sixties, he enlisted in the bracero program, and he went through a contracting center in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; he comments that he went with one of his brothers-in-law, but they were separated during the x-ray portion of their processing; they did, however, meet up later while in the United States, and they picked cotton together; as a bracero, Dionisio labored in the fields of California and Texas until the program ended in 1964; he goes on to briefly recount the different worksites, housing, payment, treatment, and recreational activities; in addition, he describes working in Lamesa, Texas, and having to prepare his own meals, which was especially difficult, because he did not know anything about cooking; he also saw snow for the first time while in Texas; moreover, he explains that Hidalgo, Texas was the worst; there were about three hundred braceros there, and they were divided into smaller working groups; sometimes, they were not taken to the fields until 10:00 AM or 11:00 AM, at which point there was not much left to pick; eventually, by the early sixties, he had saved enough money to buy a car; he also explains that a group of braceros organized to demand better pay and appointed him their leader; in the end, they all backed out, but he refused to continue working for little pay, so he returned to México; he married in 1970, and a year later his wife had their first child; by 1972, he and his family moved to Manuel Doblado, Guanajuato, México, and settled there; his overall memories of the program are positive.
Creator
Loza, Mireya
Hernández Canchola, Dionisio
Date
2007-07-20
Subject
bracero
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
spa
title (Spanish)
Dionisio Hernández Canchola
creator (Spanish)
Loza, Mireya
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Online Submission
No
Original Format
Mini disc
Duration
21:37
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit 96 k
Interviewer
Loza, Mireya
Interviewee
Hernández Canchola, Dionisio
Location
Manuel Doblado, Guanajuato
File Name Identifier
Hernandez_Canchola_GTO003
Citation
Loza, Mireya and Hernández Canchola, Dionisio, “Dionisio Hernández Canchola,” Bracero History Archive, accessed May 11, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/items/show/682.