Interviewer
Laureano Martínez
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Ignacio Pérez was born in 1924, in Rodeo, Durango, México; he was the oldest of four brothers; an orphan at the age of seven, he grew up with his maternal grandmother; he worked as a shepherd when he was a boy; in 1949, he crossed the México-United States border to work as an undocumented laborer; after a week, he was hired as a bracero; he worked in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas picking cotton and harvesting sugar beets.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Pérez recalls crossing the México-United States border in 1949; later, he was hired as a bracero in Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; he worked in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas; additionally, he describes the farming activities of braceros, their work hours, the housing provided for them, and the food they prepared; he recalls the wages he was paid, the different contracts he had, and how he sent money to his family in México; furthermore, he relates what braceros did during the weekends, and how U.S. citizens in town treated them; he expresses his feelings about the program and the benefits of having worked in the United States.
Date of Interview
5-27-2003
Length of Interview
45 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1015
Transcript Number
No. 1015
Length of Transcript
39 pages
Interview Number
No. 1015
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Ignacio Pérez García by Laureano Martínez, 2003, "Interview no. 1015," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.