J. Carmen Quezada Morales
Title
J. Carmen Quezada Morales
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: J. Carmen Quezada Morales was born in 1928, in Manuel Doblado, Guanajuato, México; he is the eldest of his five sisters and two brothers; his parents were masons and campesinos; he was formally educated through the second grade; by the time he was twelve years old, he had already begun to sow the land; in 1949, he enlisted in the bracero program; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming, picking, cleaning, and pruning various fruits and vegetables.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Quezada talks about his family, his parents in particular and their variety of trades; when the bracero program started in 1942, he often heard people talk about it; many men were afraid of being taken to war if they enlisted; in 1949, he joined the program, and he went with a group of friends to the contracting center in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; he describes the long waiting time and the medical exams, including injections and blood samples; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming, picking, cleaning, and pruning different fruits and vegetables; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp sizes, housing, living, amenities, provisions, daily routines, payments, deductions, correspondence, working relationships, and recreational activities, including trips into town; his first time in the United States, he worked in Texas, and he explains how he was able to get more work after his contract ended; Texas was also the only place he saw undocumented workers; he also mentions that in Wyoming braceros were not always allowed in public establishments; moreover, he also talks about the tragic events surrounding the deaths of two of his children, Jesús and Moisés, while he was working in the United States; after completing several contracts, he returned to México, and he went on to have nine additional children with his wife; overall, he has both positive and negative memories of his experiences as a bracero.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Quezada talks about his family, his parents in particular and their variety of trades; when the bracero program started in 1942, he often heard people talk about it; many men were afraid of being taken to war if they enlisted; in 1949, he joined the program, and he went with a group of friends to the contracting center in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; he describes the long waiting time and the medical exams, including injections and blood samples; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming, picking, cleaning, and pruning different fruits and vegetables; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp sizes, housing, living, amenities, provisions, daily routines, payments, deductions, correspondence, working relationships, and recreational activities, including trips into town; his first time in the United States, he worked in Texas, and he explains how he was able to get more work after his contract ended; Texas was also the only place he saw undocumented workers; he also mentions that in Wyoming braceros were not always allowed in public establishments; moreover, he also talks about the tragic events surrounding the deaths of two of his children, Jesús and Moisés, while he was working in the United States; after completing several contracts, he returned to México, and he went on to have nine additional children with his wife; overall, he has both positive and negative memories of his experiences as a bracero.
Creator
Loza, Mireya
Quezada Morales, J. Carmen
Date
2007-07-22
Subject
bracero
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
spa
title (Spanish)
J. Carmen Quezada Morales
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
38:51
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit 96 k
Interviewer
Loza, Mireya
Interviewee
Quezada Morales, J. Carmen
Location
Manuel Doblado, Guanajuato
File Name Identifier
Quezada_Morales_GTO010
Citation
Loza, Mireya and Quezada Morales, J. Carmen, “J. Carmen Quezada Morales,” Bracero History Archive, accessed May 8, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/items/show/689.