Interviewer
Myrna Parra Mantilla
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Nicolás Carreón Vega was born in Villa Aldama, Chihuahua, México, in 1933 [in 1995, the Mexican Congress changed the name from Villa Aldama to Ciudad Aldama]; as the eldest of the family, upon his father’s death he began working in the fields when he was only eight years old; he learned about the Bracero Program in 1953 and came to the United States.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Carreón briefly recounts his childhood; he focuses on his time in the United States as a bracero from 1953 until the mid 1960s; he discusses work contracts and the possibilities under which a mica card could be obtained; he worked in the cotton fields of Texas and New Mexico, the beet fields of Colorado, and on ranches in Arizona as well; while working in Artesia, New Mexico, he caught pneumonia and was hospitalized for a month; in 1955, he worked without a contract in Pecos, Texas, was caught and sent to jail; in 1958, the cotton field he worked was flooded so he and others were sent elsewhere to finish out their contracts.
Date of Interview
3-30-2003
Length of Interview
35 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 963
Transcript Number
No. 963
Length of Transcript
16 pages
Interview Number
No. 963
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Nicolás Carreón Vega by Myrna Parra Mantilla, 2003, "Interview no. 963," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.