Interviewer
Violeta Domínguez
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Heleodoro Martínez was born in Metepec, Hidalgo, México; he was the third of six brothers; at an early age, he worked in agriculture; as a teenager, he worked in construction; he joined the Bracero Program in 1951, and worked in California and Texas; there, he picked carrots, celery, cotton, green peppers, lemons, oranges, and tomatoes.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Martínez recalls growing up in Metepec, Hidalgo, México, and working from an early age in agriculture and construction; he remembers that, in 1951, he joined the Bracero Program after suffering economic hardships; additionally, he describes the hiring process in rural areas, the legal requirements he needed to fulfill to get on a list of people who could become braceros, and the bribes he had to pay to get on that list; he details what the contracting centers were like in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México and Empalme, Sonora, México, the physical exams he endured, his experience in the reception center in Calexico, California, and how the disinfection process was carried out; furthermore, he relates his daily activities on the farms, the treatment he received from foremen, and what his housing and food was like; he also expresses what braceros did during weekends, and what they did for entertainment; moreover, he explains his hopes when he joined the bracero program, the hardships he and other braceros endured in the United States, and his feelings of loneliness and sadness during his time in the program.
Date of Interview
5-15-2002
Length of Interview
167 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1038
Transcript Number
No. 1038
Length of Transcript
87 pages
Interview Number
No. 1038
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Heleodoro Martínez Solís by Violeta Domínguez, 2002, "Interview no. 1038," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.