Interviewer
Mireya Loza
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Lucio Vargas was born in Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, México; He worked with his father in the field since he was eight; His mother was a housewife, but the life they had was very poor; At the age of twenty-three, Mr. Vargas entered the bracero program working in the cotton fields in New Mexico and Arizona.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Vargas began to work since he was eight years old with his father in the fields and taking care of animals. Mr. Vargas worked in the construction of the Panamerican highway trying to earn enough money for his family and himself. He worked without documentation in the United States when he was eighteen. At the age of twenty-three he heard about the bracero program and was hired in Juarez. At the same age, he married in Mexico and had a family of four daughters and four sons. Vargas traveled to El Paso, Texas, and was hired at Fort Bliss. The first place where Mr. Vargas worked was in Doña Ana, Nuevo Mexico, picking cotton. His salary was very low, earning $0.35 per hour. He finally received the American residency through one of his daughters and remains living in the United States.
Date of Interview
1-12-2008
Length of Interview
56 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1384
Transcript Number
No. 1384
Length of Transcript
30 pages
Transcriber
Unknown
Interview Number
No. 1384
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Lucio Vargas by Mireya Loza, 2008, "Interview no. 1384," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.