Interviewee

Felipe Pavon Munoz

Interviewer

Alma Carrillo

Project

Bracero Oral History Project

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee

Felipe Pavon Muňoz was born in Zacatelco, Mexico in 1919, he is the youngest of six children; at the age of eleven he was orphaned; he attended elementary school where he learned to read and write; at a young age he began helping his brother in the farm, eventually he began working in factories, where he was not paid enough.

Summary of Interview

In 1942 he saw a newspaper announcing the hiring of Mexican men, he explains in detail the negotiations that occurred between the United States and Mexico; he recalls braceros arriving to the national stadium in Mexico City; in 1944 he registered as a bracero; he details his physical examination, explaining that it consisted of a rectal exam, lice check, fumigation, a shower, blood work, and a detail inspection of their entire naked body; he remembers that once in the United States braceros were lined up and distributed out without knowledge of where they were going; he describes living in a wooden apartment with three other men, paying $1.50 for his meals, and the manager taking them to town to shop and to Salinas, CA., for dances; he points out reuniting with other braceros and hearing about their negative experiences, explaining that they were unaware that they had rights; in California he recalls picking beans, onions, apricot, and lettuce; he sent his brother money; he details being injured as a bracero and being given medical aid; he recalls that three hundred braceros worked in picking corn; he recalls meeting his wife in 1949 and marrying a year later, having ten children; he explains that he felt bad that many men sold their farms or took loans in order to become braceros and were rejected; he explains that being away from his family was difficult; he details the activities and progress of his children; he points out that they were paid in cash and the ten percent was deducted, he never received his ten percent and is currently attempting to recover it; he details the struggle and process he is undergoing attempting to recover his ten percent.

Date of Interview

11-8-2008

Length of Interview

98 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1598

Transcriber

Mayra L. Avila_

Interview Number

No. 1598

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

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