Interviewer
Steve Velásquez
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
María Cantor was born on February 2, 1934 in Zacoalco de Torres, Jalisco, México; her parents were Francisco Mariscal Magallanes and María Preciado; her father was a farmer; she was the oldest of eleven children; she was formally educated through the fourth grade; her father joined the bracero program in 1946 at Empalme, Sonora, México; as a bracero her father labored in the fields of Washington, Ohio, Oregon, and California; her father worked for the railroad; when the bracero program ended he returned to México.
Summary of Interview
Mrs. Cantor briefly recalls her childhood and the financial difficulties her family endured; she recalls that her father decided to enlist in the bracero program in 1946; she recalls how difficult it was for her father to become a bracero; her father was contracted approximately four or five times; she mentions that he went through a processing center in Empalme, Sonora, México; as a part of the process, he was medically examined, vaccinated and deloused; she goes on to talk about his payments and his correspondence with her mother; as a bracero, her father worked for the railroad and labored in the fields picking cotton; she recalls that he also labored in the fields of San José, California picking oranges and onions; after the bracero program ended, her father returned to México where he died in 1995.
Date of Interview
7-27-2005
Length of Interview
30 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1115
Transcript Number
No. 1115
Length of Transcript
16 pages
Interview Number
No. 1115
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with María Cantor by Steve Velásquez, 2005, "Interview no. 1115," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.