Interviewee

Juan Contreras

Interviewer

Mario Sifuentes

Project

Bracero Oral History

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee

Juan Contreras was born in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México; his father was in the military, and the family consequently moved around a lot; Juan later enlisted in the bracero program; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington picking various fruits and vegetables; while in Oregon, he worked for Libby’s picking fruits; he later immigrated to the United States, married and raised a family.

Summary of Interview

Mr. Contreras initially learned about the bracero program through a friend and went to enlist; a few weeks later, he received a telegram telling him to go to the Buena Vista station in México, Distrito Federal, where he volunteered for Exterior Relations; later, he traveled by train to the United States; Mexican soldiers watched over the seven cars with roughly eighty men in each; by the time they reached El Paso, Texas, only three or four cars were left; he did not have to endure any physical exams; however, he later went through the center in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México, and he was stripped, examined and shaved for lice; he was given special preference, because he had already worked in the United States; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington picking various fruits and vegetables; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp sizes, housing, accommodations, amenities, provisions, duties, treatment, payments, remittances and recreational activities, including trips into town; while in Portland, Oregon, he worked for Libby’s picking fruit that was later canned; the bed linens were changed every three days; they also had ice cream parties and other social events, including dance lessons; in Utah, women often went to the camps, and they were rumored to be especially fond of Mexican men; while in Arizona, he was refused service at a restaurant and noticed a discriminatory sign; he and others complained to the Mexican consul, and the sign was removed; in addition, he relates other anecdotes about his experiences as a bracero; he later immigrated to the United States, married and raised a family.

Date of Interview

5-26-2006

Length of Interview

62 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1072

Transcript Number

No. 1072

Length of Transcript

45 pages

Interview Number

No. 1072

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

Comments

Interview in Spanish.

Share

COinS