Interviewer
Cesar Villarreal
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Silbano Robledo was born in Santa Maria del Rio, San Luis Potosi, Mexico on February 20, 1927; His mother took care of him and his five brothers because his father left them; Robledo did not attend school because he needed to help his mother; Robledo worked as a bracero picking cotton in cities as Plainview, La Mesa de Lobos and Silver Town.
Summary of Interview
Silbano Robledo was very tired of working in his town from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm without a good salary. After he got married, he started a small business selling peanuts. Mr. Robledo traveled to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico to get hired as a bracero; He worked in El Valle picking cotton and then traveled to La Mesa de Lobos and worked doing the same job. He worked as a bracero for three years until 1959. He worked from twelve-hour days with a salary of $ 7.00 dollars per day. Robledo lived with his co-workers and they all together bought food for the whole the week. Due to working in the bracero program, he obtained residency. Robledo lived with his family in the United States. For Mr. Robledo the word bracero means something good because he became an American citizen.
Date of Interview
7-18-2010
Length of Interview
56 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1464
Transcript Number
No. 1464
Length of Transcript
19 pages
Transcriber
Unknown
Interview Number
No. 1464
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Silbano Robledo by Cesar Villarreal, 2010, "Interview no. 1464," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.