Faustina Flores

Interviewer

Anaís Acosta

Project

Bracero Oral History

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee

Faustina Flores was born on February 16, 1932, in Tapalpa, Jalisco, México; she had ten siblings; when she was nineteen, she married a man named Timoteo Flores; they had eleven children; in 1957, her husband joined the Bracero Program; she stayed in México taking care of the children and the house; now, she resides in San Jose, California with her sons.

Summary of Interview

Ms. Flores recalls growing up in Tapalpa, Jalisco, México, never going to school, and marrying Timoteo Flores when she was nineteen; she states that she never learned to write, but does read some; additionally, she relates how they were forced to move to Venustiano Carranza, Jalisco, México after having their eighth child due to a lack of work in their hometown; they later had three more children; she explains how her husband found out about the Bracero Program in the newspaper, and how he decided to join it in 1957; furthermore, she details how her husband traveled to the contracting center in Empalme, Sonora, México; she describes the difficulty in taking care of the children and the home while her husband was away; moreover, she describes getting mail from him, but never responding because of her limited write skills; she recounts that after the program ended, her husband continued to travel to the United States as an undocumented worker; her children joined their father in this work; she expresses that, though the program helped, it was difficult to make a living from it because it was seasonal, and the pay was very low; to conclude, she details why her husband never wanted to live in the United States, and how she now lives in San Jose, California with her sons.

Date of Interview

7-27-2005

Length of Interview

28 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1107

Transcript Number

No. 1107

Length of Transcript

14 pages

Interview Number

No. 1107

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

Comments

Interview in Spanish.

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