Interviewer
Violeta Domínguez
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Filiberto Villaseñor was born on July 25, 1928, in Tizapotla, Morelos, México; at age twelve, he began working with his father in the fields; he was a bracero from 1955 to 1964; he picked cotton and tomatoes in California, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Villaseñor recalls growing up in Tizapotla, Morelos, México; his father was a baker, but he remembers never having had an interest for the profession; at the age of twelve, he states that he helped his father work in the fields; he describes his childhood as being very hard economically, and talks about the work he did as a youth; he details how he found out about the Bracero Program, and what the hiring process was like when he went through it in 1955; additionally, he relates his experience at the contracting centers in Empalme, Sonora, México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México, and Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México; he expresses what his life was like while working as a bracero in California, Nebraska, and Wyoming; furthermore, he states that he picked cotton and tomatoes in those places, and that he performed these duties until 1964; after the program was terminated, he says that he returned to the United States as an undocumented worker; he explains that he did this work for about ten years and then returned to México; later, he states that he has since received documents to enter the U.S., and uses them to return for work from time to time.
Date of Interview
9-26-2003
Length of Interview
77 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1059
Transcript Number
No. 1059
Length of Transcript
51 pages
Interview Number
No. 1059
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Filiberto Villaseñor Ocampo by Violeta Domínguez, 2003, "Interview no. 1059," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.