Interviewer
Violeta Domínguez
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Servando Peñaloza was born in Guayameo, Guerrero, México; he worked in agriculture from the age of six; at the age of nineteen, he moved to Mexico City, México; he joined the Bracero Program in 1955 with his brother, and worked in Arizona and California; there he picked broccoli, celery, green beans, lemons, lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Peñaloza recalls growing up in Guayameo, Guerrero, México, and working in agriculture from an early age; he remembers moving to Mexico City, México at age nineteen, and working at the Chapultepec Castle; additionally, he relates that he had to take care of his younger brother during this time; he states that he joined the Bracero Program in 1955 with an older brother, and worked in Arizona and California picking broccoli, celery, green beans, lemons, lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes; furthermore, he describes the hiring process, his time at the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México, and the contracts he signed; he discusses what daily life was like on the bracero camps, the work they did, and the trips they took into town; moreover, he explains his decision to move back to México after he left the program, and what he labored at.
Date of Interview
5-31-2002
Length of Interview
115 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1039
Transcript Number
No. 1039
Length of Transcript
82 pages
Interview Number
No. 1039
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Servando Peñaloza Muñoz by Violeta Domínguez, 2002, "Interview no. 1039," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.