Interviewer
Fernanda Carrillo
Project
Bracero Oral History Project
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Lily Gutierrez was born in El Paso, Texas, on October 5, 1935; her father was a professional butcher who owned several grocery stores, and her mother was a homemaker; she had four brothers and two sisters; after getting married, she moved to Pecos, Texas, where she began working for the Trans Pecos Cotton Association as a clerk and typist from 1955 to 1957.
Summary of Interview
Ms. Gutierrez recalls that she met her husband while in college; after getting married, in 1955, they moved to Pecos, Texas, where she began working for the Trans Pecos Cotton Association as a clerk and typist; she compares the association to Rio Vista, a processing center for braceros in Socorro, Texas; it was her job to fill out the necessary paperwork and contracts for the braceros; the association was responsible for Reeves and Pecos County; inspectors from the Department of Labor would often check to verify that adequate housing was provided for the braceros; they even had representatives from the Mexican consulate periodically arriving to handle any complaints or concerns on behalf of the braceros; she provides a general description of the facilities as well as the various procedures the workers went through; in addition, she comments that on the weekends it was common to see braceros in town buying groceries or going to church; braceros and Mexican-Americans were often discriminated against by the people in town.
Date of Interview
4-7-2003
Length of Interview
37 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1557
Transcript Number
No. 1557
Length of Transcript
16 pages
Transcriber
Vanessa Macias
Interview Number
No. 1557
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Lily Gutierrez Reveles by Fernanda Carrillo, 2003, "Interview no. 1557," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.