Interviewer
Alma Carrillo
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Mr. Francisco Plascencia Sandoval was born on October 19, 1922, in Yahualica, Jalisco, Mexico; his parents worked on a farm; he had ten siblings; as a young boy, he helped his family by working in the fields; his father lived and worked in the United States while Mr. Francisco Palascencia Sandoval was a child; at the age of eighteen, he moved to San Luis Potosi, Mexico; he later immigrated to the United States illegally; in 1954, he decided to enroll in the bracero Program; as a bracero, he worked primarily in the fields of California; he married and had six children; he was ultimately able to arrange for residency.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Plascencia Sandoval briefly recalls his hometown and working in agriculture while growing up; he recalls that there were no schools in his hometown, so consequently he did not receive any formal education; he talks about his father working in the mines of Arizona; in 1954, he decided to enlist in the bracero program and went through the contracting center in Mexicali; as part of the process, he was medically examined and deloused; he recalls that one of the requirements for the braceros was to have calloused hands; some of the men would burn their hands in order to meet the requirement; his first contract took him to work in Imperial Valley, California; he recalls working with a short-handled hoe while weeding in the cotton and beet fields; he talks about having made more money as an undocumented worker than he did while working as a bracero; he goes on to detail the living conditions, provisions, payments, remittances, treatment, friendships, correspondence, and recreational activities; although he did suffer as a bracero, his overall memories of the program are positive.
Date of Interview
5-24-2006
Length of Interview
37 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1309
Transcript Number
No. 1309
Length of Transcript
40 pages
Interview Number
No. 1309
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Francisco Plascencia Sandoval by Alma Carrillo, 2006, "Interview no. 1309," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.