Jose Leyva
Title
Jose Leyva
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: José Leyva was born in 1952, in Phoenix, Arizona; he grew up in Litchfield Park, which was a camp for migrant farm workers and braceros; his grandfather was the foreman, and his grandmother, mother and aunts helped maintain the camp as well; when José was ten years old, the family moved to San Diego, California.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Leyva talks about his family and growing up in Litchfield Park, which was a camp for migrant farm workers and braceros; he explains that five groups of camps were established in 1918 by Goodyear Farms, and they transported Mexican, Mexican-American and a few African-American workers to the camps; as men permanently settled in the area, the cities of Avondale, Peoria and Tolleson began to take shape; José’s grandfather was the foreman, and his grandmother, mother and aunts helped maintain the camp as well; his grandfather even won an award for getting the most cotton per acre of any ranch in the entire area; his prize was a brand-new 1957 Chevy truck; he insisted that because he treated the braceros like family, they were willing to work hard for him; the women in the family were up at 4:00 AM to make breakfast for the braceros, and they also made lunch and dinner; in addition, they washed and ironed for extra money; the braceros lived in dissolved army barracks, which were separated from where José and his family lived; even so, there was no distinction between the migrant workers and the braceros; when the women were not cooking, they were out in the fields picking with the men; oftentimes, they took the children with them; José remembers using old bean or flour sacks to help them with the picking and going with his grandfather to irrigate crops; moreover, he relates several anecdotes about his experiences in the camp with the braceros, including playing with them and celebrating weddings, baptisms and holidays together; when José was ten years old, the family moved to San Diego, California; he credits growing up in the Mexican community of the camps for his deep appreciation of his culture and language.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Leyva talks about his family and growing up in Litchfield Park, which was a camp for migrant farm workers and braceros; he explains that five groups of camps were established in 1918 by Goodyear Farms, and they transported Mexican, Mexican-American and a few African-American workers to the camps; as men permanently settled in the area, the cities of Avondale, Peoria and Tolleson began to take shape; José’s grandfather was the foreman, and his grandmother, mother and aunts helped maintain the camp as well; his grandfather even won an award for getting the most cotton per acre of any ranch in the entire area; his prize was a brand-new 1957 Chevy truck; he insisted that because he treated the braceros like family, they were willing to work hard for him; the women in the family were up at 4:00 AM to make breakfast for the braceros, and they also made lunch and dinner; in addition, they washed and ironed for extra money; the braceros lived in dissolved army barracks, which were separated from where José and his family lived; even so, there was no distinction between the migrant workers and the braceros; when the women were not cooking, they were out in the fields picking with the men; oftentimes, they took the children with them; José remembers using old bean or flour sacks to help them with the picking and going with his grandfather to irrigate crops; moreover, he relates several anecdotes about his experiences in the camp with the braceros, including playing with them and celebrating weddings, baptisms and holidays together; when José was ten years old, the family moved to San Diego, California; he credits growing up in the Mexican community of the camps for his deep appreciation of his culture and language.
Creator
Carrillo, Alma
Leyva, Jose
Date
2008-01-11
Subject
living in a bracero camp
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
spa
title (Spanish)
Jose Leyva
creator (Spanish)
Carrillo, Alma
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Online Submission
No
Interviewer
Carrillo, Alma
Interviewee
Leyva, Jose
Location
Goodyear, Arizona
Duration
50:30
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit
96 k
96 k
File Name Identifier
Leyva_AZ035
Citation
Carrillo, Alma and Leyva, Jose, “Jose Leyva,” Bracero History Archive, accessed November 4, 2025, https://braceroarchive.org/es/items/show/725.