Interviewer
Myrna Parra-Mantilla
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Natibidad Mancinas was born in Nieves, Zacatecas, Mexico, in 1929 [in 1995, the Mexican Congress changed the name of Nieves, Zacatecas to General Francisco R. Murguia]; he helped his dad work the fields as a young boy, and consequently did not receive any formal schooling; he worked as a bracero for six years; he worked in Texas, Michigan, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Colorado.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Mancinas was married and living in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, when he learned about the Bracero Program; consequently his brothers also decided to become braceros; his decision to become a bracero was based on the financial difficulties he faced at the time; he was paid only two pesos per week in México; in El Trocadero, a processing center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexican soldiers kept order; many people were scared of the soldiers; his first work contract took him to Pecos, Texas, where he earned 75¢ a day for working in the cotton fields; he recalls that the African-Americans in Arkansas were very friendly to the braceros.
Date of Interview
5-12-2003
Length of Interview
34 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 975
Transcript Number
No. 975
Length of Transcript
27 pages
Interview Number
No. 975
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Natibidad Mancinas by Myrna Parra-Mantilla, 2003, "Interview no. 975," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.