Interviewer
Laureano Martínez
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Isidro H. Buso was born and raised in Delicias, Chihuahua, México, on March 16, 1942; he was the eldest of his four brothers and sister; his father was a construction worker who taught him the trade; at the age of seventeen, he began working in construction; in 1962, he enrolled in the Bracero Program; while working as a bracero, his various jobs included picking cotton, driving cattle, and feeding hens.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Buso briefly recalls his childhood and adolescence; in 1962, he went through the hiring process in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, and from there was sent to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; he gives a detailed description of his various jobs as a bracero, which included, picking cotton, castrating and driving cattle, and feeding hens; in addition, he also discusses housing issues, the various wages earned, the methods of payment, the length of his contracts, and one instance of racism experienced by his friend who was an African American; sometime later, he decided to become a legal resident, and he details the procedures associated with doing so and how it changed his life; he remarks that his dreams and illusions of working in the United States were well worth any inconveniences he might have faced.
Date of Interview
3-6-2003
Length of Interview
112 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1120
Transcript Number
No. 1120
Length of Transcript
66 pages
Interview Number
No. 1120
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Isidro H. Buso by Laureano Martínez, 2003, "Interview no. 1120," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.