Interviewer
Ana Rosas
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Sebastian Saucedo was born in Santa Bárbara, Chihuahua, México, on May 25, 1922; he is the third of six children; as a child, he helped his father work in the fields; consequently, he was never formally educated; in 1945, he enlisted in the bracero program; as a bracero, he worked in the fields and on the railroads in various places throughout the United States, including Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas; he worked with the program for roughly ten years; eventually, he was able to legalize his family’s residency, and they all moved to the United States.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Saucedo talks about his family and childhood; he initially enlisted in the bracero program in 1945, in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, but he was then transferred to Querétaro, Querétaro, México, in order to complete the paperwork; from there, he was transported by train back to Juárez and into the United States before finally being taken to Nevada, where he worked on the railroads; in addition, he describes the various procedures he underwent while being processed; as a bracero, he went to work picking different crops in several places throughout the United States, including Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas; he goes on to discuss his duties, wages, working and living conditions, provisions, hardships, recreational activities, religion, and relationships with fellow employees and employers; in 1955, he legalized his residency, and continued working on a walnut farm in La Mesa, New Mexico; eventually, he was able to legalize residency for his family, and they all moved to the United States; he concludes by describing his fondness for the United States, and he reflects happily on his bracero experiences.
Date of Interview
11-12-2005
Length of Interview
64 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1096
Transcript Number
No. 1096
Length of Transcript
45 pages
Interview Number
No. 1096
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Sebastian Saucedo by Ana Rosas, 2005, "Interview no. 1096," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.