1285
Interview in Spanish.
Summary of Interview
Ms. Loza González talks about her family and what it was like for her growing up; her older brother, Juan, worked as a bracero in Michigan and Texas; he often sent money home to his mom to help care for his siblings and send them to school; María describes how hard it was for the family to survive while he was gone; the entire family had to adapt to his absence, including changes in their daily chores for working the land and caring for the animals; it was especially difficult to wait for word from him, because the mail took so long; she goes on to discuss the economic difficulties she and her family faced; in addition, she describes one instance in which her appendix ruptured, and she had to ride a horse into town to have surgery; María explains that there was no running water, light, or paved roads at the time; one of her younger brothers, Manuel, also joined the bracero program; he was able to work with Juan in Michigan, but he went alone to Arkansas; Juan and Manuel became braceros in the hope of having a better life; Juan took on the primary responsibility for helping the family; he brought home a lot of clothes, and a necklace, bedspread, and purse for her; another brother, Pedro, came to the United States illegally, but he was later able to obtain legal documentation; María goes on to discuss her brothers’ various travels between México and the United States.