Interviewee

Gregorio Nuñez

Interviewer

Rochelle Garza

Project

Bracero Oral History

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee

Mr. Gregorio Nuñez was born in 1923, in Puente Grande, Jalisco, Mexico; his father was a large landowner; his mother was a housewife; he was formally educated through the eighth grade; as a teenager, he decided to leave his hometown and move to the United States; he became a bracero in 1946; he and his wife had five sons and one daughter; he worked as truck driver for twenty three years.

Summary of Interview

Mr. Nuñez briefly talks about his family; he and a friend traveled by train from Guadalajara, Mexico to Benjamin Hill, Sonora, Mexico; from there he traveled to Mexicali, Mexico and then to Calexico, California to look for his brother; his brother was no longer living at the address; he stayed on with the young woman who lived at the address and she introduced him to a foreman that worked for Spruce Farms; initially, Mr. Nuñez was an undocumented worker; in 1946, he heard about the bracero program and decided to join; Mr. Nuñez met his wife in Brawley, California and they were married in 1951; after one of his contracts ended, he stayed in the U.S. illegally; he details being sent back to Mexico for ninety days so that he could return legally; Mr. Nuñez learned to operate the farming machinery and eventually bought his own trucks; he was involved in two serious accidents; he goes on to detail the camp size, living conditions, provisions, deductions, remittances, treatment, friendships, and recreational activities; many of the braceros were from southern Mexico; he briefly discusses the Japanese encampments; he recalls that every three months, laxatives were mixed into the food the braceros were served; he states that initially, there was not a substantial degree of discrimination from Mexican Americans toward the braceros, however, that began to change as the program gained momentum; he is proud to have been a bracero.

Date of Interview

5-23-2006

Length of Interview

50 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1307

Transcript Number

No. 1307

Length of Transcript

28 pages

Interview Number

No. 1307

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

Comments

Interview in Spanish.

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