Matiana Ibarra Quintana
Title
Matiana Ibarra Quintana
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Matiana Ibarra Quintana was born on September 21, 1929; she had one sister and one brother who passed away; her mother also died when she was only four years old; consequently, she and her siblings were raised by her paternal grandparents; her father was a day laborer; although she was never formally educated, she did learn how to run a household; she eventually married, and shortly thereafter, her husband enlisted in the bracero program; they went on to have nine children.
Summary of Interview: Ms. Ibarra recalls her childhood and learning to read at the age of fourteen through a cultural mission program; by the time she was twenty, she was married and pregnant with her first child; her first born son was two years old when her husband enlisted in the bracero program; he went to Irapuato, Guanajuato, México, and waited for fifteen days before getting called; while he was gone she suffered greatly; shortly after he left, their son became very ill and ultimately passed away; it was not until later that she learned the day her husband left for the United States was the day their son died; she goes on to vividly describe all the details surrounding the tragic event, including notifying her husband while he was still in the United States; in addition, one of his little sisters, who was the same age as his son, also passed away about the same time; Matiana later had another son, but her husband was not there when he was born; they went on to have nine children in total; after her husband returned they continued living with his parents; he eventually began working in construction, and they moved around a bit; years passed before he returned to the United States looking for work, and one of their sons even went with him; overall, Matiana suffered greatly when her husband was gone, but as time passed it became easier, especially with the company of her children.
Summary of Interview: Ms. Ibarra recalls her childhood and learning to read at the age of fourteen through a cultural mission program; by the time she was twenty, she was married and pregnant with her first child; her first born son was two years old when her husband enlisted in the bracero program; he went to Irapuato, Guanajuato, México, and waited for fifteen days before getting called; while he was gone she suffered greatly; shortly after he left, their son became very ill and ultimately passed away; it was not until later that she learned the day her husband left for the United States was the day their son died; she goes on to vividly describe all the details surrounding the tragic event, including notifying her husband while he was still in the United States; in addition, one of his little sisters, who was the same age as his son, also passed away about the same time; Matiana later had another son, but her husband was not there when he was born; they went on to have nine children in total; after her husband returned they continued living with his parents; he eventually began working in construction, and they moved around a bit; years passed before he returned to the United States looking for work, and one of their sons even went with him; overall, Matiana suffered greatly when her husband was gone, but as time passed it became easier, especially with the company of her children.
Creator
Loza, Mireya
Ibarra Quintana, Matiana
Date
2007-07-22
Subject
Wife of a bracero
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
spa
title (Spanish)
Matiana Ibarra Quintana
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
27:44
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit 96 k
Interviewer
Loza, Mireya
Interviewee
Ibarra Quintana, Matiana
Location
Manuel Doblado, Guanajuato
File Name Identifier
Ibarra_Quintana_GTO004
Citation
Loza, Mireya and Ibarra Quintana, Matiana, “Matiana Ibarra Quintana,” Bracero History Archive, accessed November 25, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/items/show/683.