Interviewer
Mario Sifuentes
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Francisco Murrillo Almaraz was born in Tabasco, Zacatecas, México; he never attended formal schooling, and began working in agriculture at an early age; he was the only boy among three siblings; in 1942, he was contracted as a bracero in Mexico City, México; he worked in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington; there he picked apples, beets, lemons, oranges, and peaches and also cut lettuce; he worked in the United States for fifty-seven years, and has never become a U.S. citizen.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Murrillo Almaraz remembers growing up in Tabasco, Zacatecas, México and working from an early age in agriculture; he states that he never had formal schooling; in 1942, he explains that he was contracted as a bracero in Mexico City, México; he details that many people, in 1942, did not want to join the bracero program because they were worried that they might be sent to the war; moreover, he worked in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington; there he picked apples, beets, lemons, oranges, and peaches and also cut lettuce; he recalls the contracting process, his trip to the border, the medical exams they endured, and crossing into the U.S.; he describes what daily life was like on the farms, the living conditions they had, the pay they received, and the food they ate; furthermore, he relates what braceros did for recreation; he says that he worked in the United States for over fifty-seven years, and that in that time he never wanted to become a U.S. citizen.
Date of Interview
5-22-2006
Length of Interview
45 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1197
Transcript Number
No. 1197
Length of Transcript
34 pages
Interview Number
No. 1197
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Francisco Murrillo Almaraz by Mario Sifuentes, 2006, "Interview no. 1197," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.