Interviewer
Violeta Domínguez
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Sebastián Jaimes was born in 1914, in Coyota (later San José del Río), Michoacán, México; as a young boy, he worked in the fields with his family; two of his siblings died when he was a child; in 1952, he was hired as a bracero; he worked in Arizona and California; later, he attempted to secure another bracero contract, but was refused after an inspection of his teeth; he returned to México and now lives in Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Jaimes recalls his childhood and his early work in the fields; he explains how he attended school with a private teacher, and when two of his siblings died; additionally, he details his experiences before becoming a bracero, and how he once refused to marry a rich girl because he was poor; he discusses how he sold candies to survive in Empalme, Sonora, México while waiting to receive his first bracero contract; in 1952, he was hired as a bracero; he worked in Arizona and California; he states that, when his first contract was up, he returned to México and attempted to rejoin the Bracero Program; he expresses how he was able to apply, but was refused enterance into the program after officials at a contracting center checked his teeth; he relates how later he was returned to the border; there, he had to ask customs officials for help in securing transportation home; after this experience, he decided to stay in México, and now lives in Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
Date of Interview
7-8-2003
Length of Interview
134 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1051
Transcript Number
No. 1051
Length of Transcript
71 pages
Interview Number
No. 1051
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Sebastián Jaimes Gutiérrez by Violeta Domínguez, 2003, "Interview no. 1051," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.