Interviewer
Grisel Murillo
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Rodolfo J. López was born on November 17, 1937, in Angamacutiro, Michoacán, México; he began working in agriculture at an early age; after his military service, he joined the bracero program in 1957; he worked in California picking cotton and driving tractors; in 1960, he became a U.S. resident.
Summary of Interview
Mr. López remembers his childhood growing up in Angamacutiro, Michoacán, México; he completed five years of formal schooling, and worked in agriculture at an early age; furthermore, after completing his military service, he joined the bracero program in 1957; he worked in California picking cotton and driving tractors; he describes the contracting process in Empalme, Sonora, México, the trip to the border he endured in a freight train, and the fumigation and medical exams he went through at El Centro, California, México; moreover, he recounts the names of different farms in Blythe, California, as well as how his life there was; he discusses the housing they had, the food they ate, and the daily work they did; additionally, he expresses what they were paid, and the treatment he got from foremen; he also relates what things they did for recreation, and how he kept in contact with his family; in 1960, he became a U.S. resident; he concludes by stating that he feels the bracero experience was a positive one.
Date of Interview
5-22-2006
Length of Interview
61 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1195
Transcript Number
No. 1195
Length of Transcript
29 pages
Interview Number
No. 1195
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Rodolfo J. López by Grisel Murillo, 2006, "Interview no. 1195," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.