Interviewer
Mireya Loza
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Audelia Bentura Cortéz was born in November of 1930, on the Isla de Janitzio, Michoacán, México; she was the eldest of her eight sisters and five brothers, but only six sisters and one brother are living; her parents were fishermen; she was never formally educated, but she did learn how to run a household; she eventually married, and her husband later enlisted in the bracero program, with one of her brothers; they labored in the fields of Texas; Audelia and her husband went on to have eleven children, two of whom died; her husband later died at the age of fifty-five in an automobile accident.
Summary of Interview
Ms. Bentura describes what her life was like growing up; her family was very poor, and they suffered greatly; she briefly recounts her courtship with her husband and how he asked for her hand in marriage with his parents, who were also fishermen; after Audelia married she went to live with her in-laws; she helped her mother-in-law with household chores, including preparing meals for the family and the help and cleaning the fish; after eight years of marriage and four children, her husband enlisted in the bracero program, with one of her brothers; they labored in the fields of Texas; Audelia’s eldest son, who was twelve at the time, helped support the family while his father was gone; her husband sent money home when he could; when he returned he brought gifts of clothes, and the family even bought a small canoe; Audelia and her husband went on to have eleven children, two of whom died; she explains that when her husband came back home, he began drinking heavily; in spite of his attempts at rehabilitation, he could not quit; he later died at the age of fifty-five after getting hit by a car.
Date of Interview
6-26-2008
Length of Interview
23 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1429
Transcript Number
No. 1429
Length of Transcript
16 pages
Transcriber
GMR Transcription Services
Interview Number
No. 1429
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Audelia Bentura Cortéz by Mireya Loza, 2008, "Interview no. 1429," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.