Interviewer
Violeta Mena
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Lucio Nuñez was born December 13, 1940, in Durango, México; he had two brothers and three sisters; his father worked in the mines, but died when he was still young; he was never formally educated, but he did work in the fields; when he was fifteen years old, he moved to Sinaloa to work; sometime later, he decided to enlist in the bracero program; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, primarily picking avocados; he eventually immigrated to the United States where he raised a family of six with his wife and later became a citizen.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Nuñez briefly talks about his family; he was working in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México, when he first heard about the bracero program; he decided to enlist, and three months later, he went to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he waited a week and a half to obtain a contract; he offers a detailed description of the entire process he underwent in México and the United States, including being stripped, medically examined and fumigated, which was especially humiliating and discriminatory; many men even broke out into rashes from the poison used during fumigation; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, primarily picking avocados; he goes on to detail camp sizes, housing, accommodations, amenities, provisions, duties, routines, treatment, payments, remittances, friendships, working relationships and recreational activities; Lucio also explains that the men were provided with sheets, blankets, towels and soap; initially, he picked tomatoes for a week and a half, before being taken to work in an avocado orchard on his own; because he worked alone, he was able to earn seventy to eighty dollars every two weeks; although the men were cared for if they were sick, he often chose to go to Tijuana, Baja California, México instead, and pay for his own pills; he also discusses the difficultly in transitioning to life in México after the program with significantly less money; he eventually immigrated to the United States where he raised a family of six with his wife and later became a citizen; overall, he has positive memories of having been a bracero.
Date of Interview
5-20-2006
Length of Interview
42 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1234
Transcript Number
No. 1234
Length of Transcript
30 pages
Interview Number
No. 1234
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Lucio Nuñez by Violeta Mena, 2006, "Interview no. 1234," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.