Manuel Leal Altamirano

Manuel Leal Altamirano

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Manuel Leal Altamirano was born on March 9, 1922, in Aldama, Chihuahua, México; he has four sisters and five brothers; when he was seven years old, his mother died; as a child, he helped his father care for the animals they owned; consequently, he was formally educated only through the third grade; he worked with the bracero program from 1951 to 1960; as a bracero, he worked in New Mexico and Texas, picking crops, irrigating, and driving tractors.

Summary of Interview: Mr. Leal briefly discusses his early childhood and family; in 1951, he enlisted in the bracero program; he describes going through Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas, and the various procedures he underwent while there; as a bracero, he worked in New Mexico and Texas, picking crops, irrigating, and driving tractors; he goes on to describe wages, working and living conditions, provisions, recreational activities, and the medical attention received when necessary; in addition, he explains the range of interactions with fellow braceros, employers, immigration personnel, and consul representatives; he continued working with the program until 1960; in the early eighties, he returned to the United States as an undocumented worker; by the mideighties, however, he was able to arrange residency for himself and his family; he concludes by reflecting on the bracero program overall and how it affected his life.

Chivardi, Rosa Elia

Leal Altamirano, Manuel

2005-11-12

Bracero

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

spa

Manuel Leal Altamirano

Chivardi, Rosy

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

No

Mini Disc

1:12:03

24 bit
96 k

Chivardi, Rosa Elia

Leal Altamirano, Manuel

El Paso, Texas

[Mins 0:00-5:11; Introduction and Early Life] Manuel Leal Altamirano was born on March 9, 1922 in Maclovio Herrera, Chihuahua, México in the municipality of Aldama. His parents worked in agriculture, but his mother died when he was seven years old. He is one of the middle children and has four sisters and five brothers. He attended school until the third grade, explaining that the teachers would stay for three or four months at a time, and then there would be a long lag period until more teachers were hired. Manuel became accustomed to work in order to pay for fashionable clothing, so he stopped going to school. Manuel began to work when he was seventeen or eighteen, but before that he had helped his father care for the goats, calves, and donkeys. He married when he was twenty-eight. He describes how he met his wife. They have three children.

[Mins 5:12-10:04; Processing] Manuel became a Bracero in 1951 and earned enough money to marry his wife upon his return. He was contracted in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, and was received in Fort Bliss, Texas. To become a Bracero he was asked to provide information about his date of birth and the names of his parents. He was not asked to present his military record because he had been born before the year 1925. Manuel remembers how the Braceros used to sleep on the ground in line because they would have to wait for so long. He remembers that many Braceros complained about that, but says that he had patience. During Manuel’s physical examination he was immunized and his blood was drawn. He was not informed of what type of work he would be doing or what his wage would be. Once he was contracted, the contract contained that information.

[Mins 10:05-12:49; Processing Continued] From Ciudad Juárez, Manuel was transported to Fort Bliss. From Fort Bliss, the grower transported him to Doña Ana, New Mexico. The grower, Martin Tarp, spoke Spanish and treated Manuel very well. Manuel clarifies that he was physically examined in Fort Bliss, Texas, but not in México. The Braceros were not able to pick where they were to work or what they would be working with.

[Mins 12:50-15:00; First Contract] His first contract was for three months. It was subsequently renewed so that he worked in Doña Ana for a total of three years. He worked with cotton and was paid fifty cents an hour and two cents a pound. Manuel would regularly pick 400 to 450 pounds. He explains that he picked a normal amount, but that the good pickers would pick about 500 or 600 pounds. He explains that food would cost about eight dollars a week, so by picking 400 pounds a day, he made enough to cover his food budget in one work day.

[Mins 15:01-16:49; Living Conditions and Food] In Doña Ana, Manuel did not live with many Braceros. They were provided with a stove, dishes, and a bed. In Muleshoe, Texas, Manuel lived in a barrack with eighty Braceros and paid for board, but their food was cooked for them. Braceros cooked their own food in both Doña Ana and Luna County, New Mexico. When Manuel and two of his brothers were together in Doña Ana, they bought and cooked food together. When Miguel was alone, he bought food and cooked for himself.

[Mins 16:50-18:50; Relationships Among Braceros] Manuel states that some Braceros physically fought with each other, offended each other, and told embarrassing jokes, but says that he always stayed even-tempered. He remembers that there were undocumented workers at nearby worksites.

[Mins 18:51-23:05; Grower, Consul, INS] He expresses that the grower treated him well. He never saw the grower’s wife, but would see his two children. Manuel would never see any Mexican officials at the worksite in Doña Ana, but he states that the Braceros were aware that the Mexican Consul was their representative and they would see him at times in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Consul would inquire as to how they were doing. Manuel recounts an incident in which the first day he and his brothers arrived in Doña Ana they were approached by the INS and asked to display their credentials. That was the only time Manuel saw the INS.

[Mins 23:06-25:27; Working Conditions and Food Continued] Manuel worked eight hours a day and had Sunday off. Sometimes he would also have Saturday off. They would begin work at eight in the morning, have an hour break for lunch at noon, and work until five in the afternoon. In the morning Manuel and his brothers would eat eggs and beans, and at midday they would eat sopa [past dish] and potatoes. He speaks about how thrifty he and his brothers were.

[Mins 25:28-31:53; Living Conditions Continued, Money] In Doña Ana there were no restrooms. The Braceros would bathe outside. When it was hot outside the growers would give the Braceros a tub which the Braceros would fill with water they had heated on the stove. In Manuel’s other worksites there were bathrooms with heated water. The Braceros would wash their clothes in small tubs. He was paid in cash in Doña Ana but paid by check in Luna County. In Luna County one of the stores let the Braceros use their checks to buy food. The Braceros were paid weekly. Money was deducted for social security, but Manuel remarks that it was always around $2.00 per paycheck. Manuel would send his wife money every two weeks via money order. He would send about fifty dollars a month. Manuel recalls that once while he was in Michigan for three weeks picking peppers he lost his check. He wrote to the Consul about the incident and the money promptly appeared at Manuel’s residence. Manuel states that the Consul helped immensely.

[Mins 31:54-35:16; Medical Services, Complaints, Discrimination] Manuel recalls an instance in which his eyes were hurting him. The grower took him to a doctor who gave him eye drops. The grower paid for all of the expenses. Manuel states that Braceros had rights toward medical services in that the Braceros were never required to pay. The expenses were handled by the grower or company. Manuel says that he would hear Braceros complaining about various things but stresses that he never complained about anything. Manuel never experienced any discrimination but he would hear stories about other people being discriminated against. The people who were discriminated against, however, were not necessarily Braceros.

[Mins 35:17-36:07; Church] On Sundays, Manuel would attend Church. He is an Evangelical Christian. The services would either be in Spanish or there would be an interpreter. In Doña Ana, the church Manuel attended was full of Mexicans [and Mexican-Americans], but at other worksites the churches he attended would be dominated by “Americans” [whites]. Manuel states that in those cases, he would always search for the Mexicans [and Mexican-Americans].

[Mins 36:08-39:01; Processing Continued] Manuel worked in Doña Ana from 1951 to 1954. While his contracts were being renewed, he would return to México. After 1954, he was examined in México, sent to the Río Vista Processing Center in El Paso, Texas, examined there once more, and then sent to work in Luna County. He was contracted at Río Vista. Luna County extends from Deming, New Mexico to Columbus, New Mexico. Prior to being contracted, Manuel had written to a grower in Columbus, Luis Quezada, to ask that he be contracted with him. Upon arrival at Río Vista, Manuel stated that he had a contract set up in Columbus and was sent there via bus. He explains that if growers specifically requested a certain Bracero, and that specific Bracero was the only one from the group of Braceros at the processing center assigned to that region, the grower would have to pay for the bus to transport the Bracero.

[Mins 39:02-41:51; Columbus, New Mexico] Manuel picked cotton in Columbus. There, he lived in small barracks that housed two to three Braceros each. He worked with about ten Braceros. The Braceros cooked their own food. The wage was the same wage as Doña Ana, but they were paid by check. Either Luis or a non-Bracero employee drove the Braceros to buy food. The market was about thirty minutes away by foot from the worksite.

[Mins 41:52-43:20; Relationships with Growers] Manuel clarifies that he worked for Luis in 1957. In 1955, he worked for a grower named Donald Thor, an “American” [white] who spoke Spanish very well. He states that both growers in Luna County treated Manuel very well. Manuel knew the growers’ families and states that Donald would even invite Manuel to have coffee with him. Manuel can only remember the names of one of Donald’s sons, but can remember the names of all of Luis’ children. Manuel states that the growers’ sons also treated him very well.

[Mins 43:21-44:36; Returning to México] Manuel would work for about three or four months for each contract, explaining that the length of time depended on the cotton season. The cotton season generally ran from late August to December. When he returned to México, Manuel would work in construction or would travel around worksites trading.

[Mins 44:37-45:36; Manuel’s Brothers] Manuel repeats information about Luis’ four children. Manuel and his brothers were treated well by Luis’ children. Manuel’s two brothers currently live in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

[Mins 45:37-48:32; Muleshoe, Texas] Before he worked as a Bracero in Muleshoe, Manuel was contracted again in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, crossed into the United States via Ciudad Juárez, and was processed at Río Vista. Three buses full of Braceros were sent from Río Vista to Muleshoe. After he had been there a short time, he was sent to a different worksite to drive a tractor. There, he was the only Bracero and thus lived alone in a house with a bathroom. He returned to México after his eighteen-month contract had expired.

[Mins 48:33-51:23; Bracero Duties] Manuel states that beginning in 1960, Braceros were not allowed to drive tractors. Rather, they were only allowed to work with their arms. Manuel states that he does not know why this occurred but guesses that American citizens wanted to work with the machinery. Manuel was paid seventy-five cents an hour as a tractor driver. He worked eight hours a day from Monday to Saturday. During his contract in 1960, he worked in irrigation. He remarks that irrigation work does not tire one out as much as field work does. He worked in irrigation in June, July, and August [of 1960].

[Mins 51:24-53:04; Muleshoe and Church Continued] The worksite at Muleshoe was far from the center of town. On Sundays, Manuel would walk to church but he states that many times people would give him rides when they saw him walking along the side of the road. He remarks that the people in Muleshoe were very kind.

[Mins 53:05-55:25; Recreation, Wage, Food Continued] Manuel remembers that while he was working at a different worksite in the same county as a tractor driver with two other Braceros, they would ask the grower to borrow his truck to go to the movies. Each Bracero cooked his own food at that worksite. At that worksite the Braceros were allowed to work as long as they liked, so if they chose to work longer hours, their paychecks would be higher. After each season, the Braceros would return to the “Association” to receive another assignment.

[Mins 55:26-56:48; Post-Bracero Work] After 1960, Manuel decided not to renew his Bracero contract because he and his wife were offered positions in a boarding school. His wife was offered the position of a cook and he was offered the position of a caretaker. They were given a place to live and were able to school their children there. Manuel’s daughter lives in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. She was a teacher and is now retired.

[Mins 56:49-60:18; Legalizing Residency] Manuel’s two sons live in the United States as United States citizens. One lives in Austin, Texas and one lives in California. Manuel is a legal resident, but has not been able to become a United States citizen although he has tried twice, saying that Texas is “muy requisitero” [has many requirements]. Manuel legalized his residency during the United States’ period of “amnesty” [Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986] while he was residing in California as an undocumented worker. He had moved to California in 1981. More than five years later, Manuel and his wife moved to San Elizario, Texas and his wife legalized her residency. Afterwards they moved to El Paso. At the time of the interview, they had lived in El Paso for nine years.

[Mins 60:19-63:07; Reflections] Manuel states that he only had the chance to advance monetarily while he was in Muleshoe, saying that because the contracts were so short and spread apart elsewhere, the money that he earned was used up by the time the contract was completed. In Muleshoe, he had the opportunity to save money. Manuel explains that the Bracero contracting system was unfair, saying that the wealthier Braceros would pay about four to five hundred pesos [Mexican currency] to be contracted faster and in places where they paid more, such as picking beets. Thus, the cycle would repeat itself.

[Mins 63:08-End; Reflections Continued] To Manuel, the term ‘Bracero’ means one who works with his arms. He speaks at length about his daughter. Manuel states that he does not feel proud to have been a Bracero. Rather, he feels satisfied. He expresses that due to his work as a Bracero he was able to live [financially] day to day. He had positive memories of being a Bracero. He states that he does not know why some Braceros had a bad time. He was treated well. He states that if he had been treated badly he would have complained. Manuel states that at the least the Bracero Program helped his family and children a little. He speaks at length about his children.

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