Interviewer
Violeta Mena
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Efraín Benítez Satana was born on October 12, 1931, in Cutzamala de Pinzón, Guerrero, México; he has two siblings; in 1952, he entered the bracero program; he worked in Arkansas and Texas picking cotton.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Benítez Satana remembers his childhood in Cutzamala de Pinzón, Guerrero, México; he states that he grew up with two siblings; in 1952, he decided to join the bracero program due to economic need; he explains that he was contracted in Monterey, Nuevo Leon, México and then sent to Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; moreover, he outlines what the process was like to be contracted in the Irapuato center and then sent via train to the United States-México border; he remembers being deloused at the border and how he was then transported to his worksite; furthermore, he recalls that his first contract sent him to Arkansas, but his assignment was cancelled because the region had received very little rain; his next contract was at El Indio, Texas picking cotton; he relates that he worked under this contract until 1963; additionally, he describes working ten hour days and the amount of money he was paid for his labor; he asserts that he had very good relationships with the small group of braceros that work with him and that they often went to the movies on days off; to conclude, he states that he migrated to the United States after he left the bracero program in 1963, the same year his mother died.
Date of Interview
5-20-2006
Length of Interview
41 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1208
Transcript Number
No. 1208
Length of Transcript
31 pages
Interview Number
No. 1208
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Efraín Benítez Satana by Violeta Mena, 2006, "Interview no. 1208," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.