Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Matilde Gallegos was born on March 30, 1930, in Benito Juárez, Chihuahua, México; he was one of six children; at the age of twelve, he started working with his father and bother in agriculture; he received formal education up to the second grade; at age eighteen, he joined the bracero program, and worked in Texas picking cotton. Summary of Interview: Mr. Gallegos recalls growing up in Benito Juárez, Chihuahua, México; he states that he began working in agriculture when he was twelve years old; at age eighteen, he remembers traveling to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México to join the bracero program, and describes the conditions he endured there; he details that he had to spend twenty days waiting to be contracted, a time he spent homeless; additionally, he explains the contracting process, the medical exams he endured, and how he was transported to the United States in a train car that was normally used for animals; he worked in Texas picking cotton; furthermore, he presents what life was like in the bracero camps, what kind of housing they got, and how they were treated by foremen; he outlines that in some camps food was provided to them at no cost, but that in others they were deducted a charge from their pay or they had to cook their own food; after three years of bracero work, he decided he did not want to continue contract work; he explains why he returned to the U.S. as an undocumented worker, and why he feels that the bracero program was of little help due to the low pay they received.
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Mauricio Salcido was born on September 13, 1936, in Durango, Durango, México; at the age of twenty-one, he became a bracero; he worked in Phoenix, Arizona, Michigan, Montana, and Texas from 1957 to 1964. Summary of Interview: Mr. Salcido worked in the bracero program from 1957 to 1964; he recalls the hiring process for braceros, the medical exams they endured and how they were treated at the reception centers in Empalme, Sonora, México and the United States; additionally, he describes picking cotton in Arizona, cucumbers in Michigan, sugar beets in Montana, and irrigating cotton in Texas; he explains his pride in having been a bracero, the benefits of being a contracted migrant worker, and how his earnings during the bracero program helped him purchase the properties he owns.
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Mauro González Gómez was born in La Boquilla, Municipio de Julimes, Chihuahua, México, in 1929; he helped his father work the land; in 1949, he learned about the bracero program and went to Chihuahua, Chihuahua to enroll; he worked in Texas and New Mexico. Summary of Interview: In 1947, Mr. González worked illegally in the United States; when he learned of the bracero program he returned to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, to begin the hiring process; while there, people were given the necessary papers to be hired as braceros; he recalls that the bracero center in El Paso, Texas, was the County Coliseum; people with less experience were sent to work in Pecos, Texas; he also recalls one bracero who was a Mexican soldier that liked to play poker; because of his gambling habits, he once killed another bracero who had won his money.
Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Mercedes Pérez Salazar was born in Guanajuato, México, on September 26, 1922; when she was still young, her family moved to a different ranch where she had extended family; her parents separated, and she was consequently raised with her maternal grandmother and all of her children; as a young girl she was not formally educated, but she did learn how to work the land; she later married José Biurquis Hernández; he enlisted in the bracero program, and he worked in the fields picking beets and cotton; José and Mercedes went on to have nine children, eight girls and one boy. Summary of Interview: Ms. Pérez talks about her family and what life was like growing up with her grandmother; in addition, she remembers always having to carry water home from the well, which was far away; she describes meeting José Biurquis Hernández and their ensuing courtship; when she was twenty-four years old, they were married; they lived with his mother and sisters, and they all got along very well; José worked selling ice and sweet potatoes in town; a year later, José and Mercedes had their first daughter; not long after, he was not making enough money, and he decided to enlist in the bracero program; while he was gone her hands were full caring for their daughter who was very mischievous; Mercedes even had problems with her sisters-in-law, because they would hit her daughter for misbehaving; even so, they would read the letters José sent her and write responses for her; he sent money to his father, and he in turn gave it to her, so she could buy clothes or other necessities; in his letters he mentioned having to wear his pants backward, because they were so dirty; moreover, he also told her that life there was very sad, and he worked a lot; he returned home with a suitcase full of things, like clothes, a bedspread, pantyhose, and fabric to make clothes; one time, he even brought a radio; after his time in the program, he went back to selling sweet potatoes with help from Mercedes.
Mexican agricultural laborer's identification card
Mexican agricultural laborer's identification card for Manuel Montes Robles
Manuel Montes Robles' Mexican Agricultural Laborer's identification card was issued to him on June 21, 1948. It notes general information about him.
Mexican agricultural laborer's identification card (back)
Mexican migrant worker ID for Vidal Tafoya dated 1967
Mexican migrant worker ID for Vidal Tafoya dated September 26, 1967.
Mexican military enlistment form for Salvador Velasco Patino dated December 26, 1942
Mexican military enlistment form (back) of Salvador Velasco Patino with fingerprints
Mexican military enlistment form (back) of Salvador Velasco Patino with physical traits and fingerprints.
Mexican military ID showing regulations. First page on left indicates age regulations for military service. Second page on right is blank and rose colored.
Mexican military ID with personal information
Mexican military ID with personal information of Agustin Bautista including date of birth, place of birth, etc.
Mexican military ID showing regulations.
Mexican military ID showing regulations on service on the right page. The left page is blank and is rose colored.
Mexican military ID with confirmation of enlistment
Mexican military ID with confirmation of enlistment showing that Agustin Bautista conforms with military law Article 5. The left page lists Articles 163 and 164.
Mexican military ID showing second reserve enlistment
Mexican military ID showing second reserve enlistment of Agustin Bautista. Signed by Luis Leal Martinez.
Mexican military ID of Cipreano Moreno Sandoval dated March 17, 1960
Mexican military ID with personal information, photo, thumb print
Mexican military ID of Cipreano Moreno Sandoval with his personal information, photo, and thumb print.
Mexican military ID showing articles 163 and 164
Mexican military ID showing articles 163 and 164 on the left page. The right page includes a stamp and signature.
Mexican military ID showing regiment number and conduct.
Mexican military ID showing regiment number, conduct performance, and signed by two individuals at bottom. The right page is empty.