Interviewer
Myrna Parra-Mantilla
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Roberto Orduño García was born in Cusihuiriachi, Chihuahua, México, in 1931; he had fifteen siblings, and his father worked in the mines; he was formally schooled for four years; when he was fourteen years old, he began working by selling newspapers and magazines, shining shoes, and selling tacos to eat; he heard of the Bracero Program through an advertisement on the radio; he worked in Tularosa, New Mexico, for two years.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Orduño was hired as a bracero in 1956; in order to be hired, he lied about his working experience in the cotton fields; the rancher who hired him noticed that he did not have any experience working in the fields; instead he was put to weigh the cotton that each bracero picked; in 1958, he came back home to Cusihuiriachi, Chihuahua, México, because his father was very ill; he recalls how the ranchers would freely lend and borrow the braceros to each other depending on the amount of work to be done; during their free time, he and other braceros liked to play baseball, listen to the radio, or go to a bar where they used to get together with the Mescalero Indians.
Date of Interview
5-10-2003
Length of Interview
34 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 983
Transcript Number
No. 983
Length of Transcript
17 pages
Interview Number
No. 983
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Roberto Orduño García by Myrna Parra-Mantilla, 2003, "Interview no. 983," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.