Guadalupe Mena Arizmendi

Guadalupe Mena Arizmendi

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Guadalupe Mena Arizmendi was born on a ranch near Buenavista, Guerrero, México, on December 26, 1928; his family worked in agriculture, and he had little formal schooling; he married at age eighteen, and when he was twenty, he entered the bracero program; as a bracero he worked in California, Minnesota, and Texas, picking beets, cabbage, carrots, cotton, and potatoes.

Summary of Interview: Mr. Mena recalls growing up on a small ranch where his family worked in agriculture; he only had a few years of formal schooling, because he had to help with daily chores; at age eighteen, he married, and when he was twenty, he entered the bracero program; he details what the contracting process was like in Empalme, Sonora, México, as well as in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, and Monterrey, Nuevo León, México; additionally, he states that more than twenty-five thousand men waited to be processed in those centers every day; in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México, many fights broke out amongst the men; he also describes the medical exams they were given, how they were forced to be naked, and how their hands were inspected for calluses; moreover, he discusses what his trips to the border were like and how he crossed through Calexico, California, and El Paso, Texas; he explains how employers picked workers, and what food they received at Rio Vista, a processing center in El Paso; as a bracero he worked in California, Minnesota, and Texas picking beets, cabbage, carrots, cotton, and potatoes; furthermore, he discusses his daily work and the treatment he received from employers and foremen, which was often very poor; he states what their living quarters were like, the bad food he received in California, and how he was treated well in Minnesota; consequently, he sent money to his family every fifteen days; he goes on to explain how he brought his family to the United States in the late seventies; although he suffered many hardships, he feels good about having worked as a bracero.

Barrios, Crystal

Mena Arizmendi, Guadalupe

2005-09-01

Bracero

Cristóbal Borges

Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso

spa

Guadalupe Mena Arizmendi

Barrios, Crystal

Cristóbal A. Borges

Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso

Mini Disc

57:17

24 bit
96 k

Barrios, Crystal

Mena Arizmendi, Guadalupe

Chicago, Illinois

[Mins 0:00-1:30; Introduction and Early Life] Mena was born near Buena Vista, Baja California Sur, Mexico, on his parents’ ranch, Armella. He went to school a few days a week for a short time. His father made a modest living farming crops like corn and beans, and raising animals.

[Mins 1:31-2:20; Work Experience] Mena grew up, married, and became a farmer. He bought and sold pigs and continued to farm his whole life until he worked in a butcher shop. He stopped working there when he came to the United States to live.

[Mins 2:21-3:03; First Trip to the U.S.] The first time Mena came to the U.S. to as a bracero, he was processed in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico and Calexico, California. He worked in the Imperial Valley, California and was then taken to Blythe, California before returning to Mexico.

[Mins 3:04-5:05; Processing Experience] Mena’s second bracero contract was processed in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. He and friends crossed the U.S.-Mexico border through Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico to work on the cotton fields of Santa Rosa, California. Mena obtained a third bracero contract in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. He explains the process of obtaining proper documentation. He says his processing experience was very nice as braceros were treated very well in Chihuahua. In California, they were treated like “slaves.”

[Mins 5:06-7:05; Minnesota] After processing in Chihuahua, the braceros crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and signed their contracts in Rio Vista, California. They next headed to Minnesota. When they arrived, one employer said he needed nine workers, the exact number of people Mena was traveling with, and so his group was able to stay together. Mena said it was very relaxed and nice in Minnesota. They were completing more than one acre of agricultural work each day, earning 15 pesos per acre. On Saturdays and Sundays, they were paid 25 pesos per acre.

[Mins 7:06-8:55; Minnesota Continued] Regardless of the busy work-week, Mena felt very relaxed there. He illustrates how great his employers were with stories of the great food Mena was given to eat. When their first contract in Minnesota ended, Mena and his group went to work on a cucumber farm in Minneota, Minnesota, and then went to Anoka, Minnesota to pick carrots, potatoes, beets and other crops. They had great employers and life was good for them.

[Mins 8:56-10:55; Minnesota vs. Other Places] In California and Texas, the braceros were treated like slaves. They weren’t allowed to straighten up at all throughout the day and were made to never stop working. Braceros were often made to do jobs outside of their contracts, like dealing with the trash. Mena illustrates his good-natured employers at other camps with anecdotes.

[Mins 10:56-13:17; Processing Continued] Being a bracero brought him security and safety. People from many towns were becoming braceros. At the processing centers, one needed to arrive well-prepared and with the proper documentation. There were so many people at the processing centers that it was almost impossible to become a bracero.

[Mins 13:18-15:18; Minnesota Continued] They worked in warehouses during their first contract in Minnesota. When their contracts ended, the braceros were brought to Monterrey and were given food and means for their travels. He offers examples to illustrate how kind the people of Minnesota were. Over time, more and more “bad” people arrived in the area that made Mena believe that his positive experience was a unique one. The braceros rarely saw other Hispanics there besides themselves. He says his experience in Minnesota was so good that he did not want to go back home.

[Mins 15:19-17:57; Processing Continued] His very first processing experience was full of “suffering.” For everything the braceros wanted to do or needed, they had to wait in long lines. In California, one had to wait in line from 3:00 a.m. to enter the dining hall at 4:00 a.m., when people began eating. There were more than 1,000 men eating in a single dining hall. They were given such little food, it was like they did not eat at all. He cites the braceros’ Mexican identity as the reason for this treatment.

[Mins 17:58-19:47; Mexican-Mexican Tension] In California, Mexicans did not have a voice. Mena clarifies that he is not speaking badly about the gueros [Mexican slang loosely translated as “white boy” or “blondie”]. Things were always fine and calm with them. It was fellow Mexicans who did not like the braceros and treated them badly. The Mexicans did not care for each other, and subsequently everyone suffered. He notes one such example of this in an encounter he found himself in with soldiers in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.

[Mins 19:48-22:30; Gang Encounter] Mena offers an anecdote on one gang encounter he had in the U.S. at his home.

[Mins 22:31-23:59; Irapuato Violence] During the bracero years, violence occurred in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico which necessitated government intervention. People who had the means left there. Those who depended on bracero work stayed, like Mena did. He prides himself on having always completed his contracts throughout his life.

[Mins 24:00-25:10; Living in California] There were 900 people sleeping in the barracks in California, and there were always people screaming and doing drugs. Mena slept very little for the week he was in California, and so he and twelve others left the barracks and lived in a little house together. In Texas, he never experienced such living conditions as things were much calmer.

[Mins 25:11-27:35; Meals in California vs. Minnesota] Mena says that living in California as a bracero meant waiting in line for food, and involved tons of braceros all pushing and getting in each others’ way. During the workday, the braceros were given water. Lunch was at noon. The braceros did not like the lunches, which included three tortillas and some pieces of bad-tasting meat. Nobody felt that they were in good health. In Minnesota, on the other hand, braceros ate whatever they wanted.

[Mins 27:36-28:30; Physical Examinations in Processing] When the braceros crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, they were given medical and physical examinations. They had to completely undress to have their hands examined and have their blood taken for tests. It was pure suffering, Mena says.

[Mins 28:31-30:20; Family] Mena married at the age of 18 and didn’t become a bracero until approximately age 20. The first few times he went to be processed, he was not selected to become a bracero. When he was contracted, it was only for short periods. Mena would be away from his wife three or four months at a time. When he was working in Minnesota, he did not go home for six months. When he had the money, he would send his family cards and letters.

[Mins 30:21-34:20; Wages] Mena does not remember exactly what his wages were, but he knows he was paid very little. Nobody complained, but everything about that lifestyle involved suffering. With the money he earned, Mena bought a television, a radio, and clothes but did not go to bars. He did not bring clothes back to his family. Mena was sending money home about every 15 days.

[Mins 34:21-36:27; Life in California] With his free time Mena would cook or leave his house for a while, but not much else. The braceros were responsible for buying all of their personal items. In California food was prepared for the braceros, and otherwise they bought food and prepared it themselves. The food given to them in California was usually not enough. Sometimes, the meat they were served was spoiled.

[Mins 36:28-38:15; Hygiene] The braceros did have bathrooms when they lived in the house. The barracks in California had bathrooms as well. In California, there were about five bathrooms for the 900 men living there. The braceros did not clean at all in the barracks, and when they were living in cottages they were responsible for keeping their areas clean.

[Mins 38:16-40:38; Complaints] The braceros were given about a half-hour for lunch, which was their only break during the day. Mena did not have any friends who experienced problems with their employment, and neither did he. If there ever were any problems, braceros kept it to themselves. They would come home from work exhausted at night, eat a taco for dinner, and go straight to sleep. Braceros who complained about not getting work were taken out and sent back to Mexico.

[Mins 40:39-42:15; Post-Bracero Program] After Mena was done with his bracero work, he went back to work in Mexico. He started a cattle farm and started a butcher shop. He eventually came back to the United States and found a job. His wife got a visa and is also in the United States. They now have citizenship.

[Mins 42:16-45:20; Retrospective Sentiments] The term “bracero,” made Mena think of his future and of working in the U.S. to make more money. “Bracero” meant ambition. In retrospect, Mena feels good about having been a bracero. When he was very young and working on his parent’s farm, he had never thought that he could be living in the United States. When he married, his feelings changed. Living with his parents meant he had never lacked anything, and marrying meant taking on the difficult obligation of caring for a wife and children. He’s known people who did not fulfill this responsibility, but he did.

[Mins 46:21-48:59; Children and Grandchildren] Mena talks about his children and grandchildren. He says that he would like to return to Mexico some day.

[Mins 49:00-End; Post-Bracero Continued] In general, the bracero experience was a good one. The incidences where they were suffering were just a part of the story. Mena speaks more about his children. He explains that after working as a bracero, he worked about three or four months in California before moving to Chicago. He worked there from 1976-1979 and then went back to Mexico. He talks about his various employments and about how he eventually returned to the U.S. Mena understands that his sons who do not want to come to the U.S. feel that way because they have good lives in Mexico. He tried to teach his children from young ages to work hard and about the suffering life brings. He talks about how his oldest son found a mate and had several children. He describes how he raised some of his grandchildren.

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