Interviewer
Myrna Parra-Mantilla
Project
Bracero Oral History
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Jesús Rodríguez Méndez was born in Guerrero, Chihuahua, México, in 1940; he helped his father work the land; due to the financial strain he and his family were under, he was never able to receive any formal schooling; he worked as a bracero for the first time in 1963, in Pecos, Texas.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Rodríguez learned of the Bracero Program while living in his hometown of Guerrero, Chihuahua, México; he traveled to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, in order to begin the enrollment process; he had to wait for two weeks to be called; during this time, he did not have money or a place to stay; he recalls that people coming from southern México waited for months at El Trocadero, the processing center in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, to be hired; when the braceros were officially hired, the United States government paid the Mexican government 10¢ per bracero; in 1963, he was hired and sent to work in Pecos, Texas.
Date of Interview
6-13-2003
Length of Interview
24 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 989
Transcript Number
No. 989
Length of Transcript
16 pages
Interview Number
No. 989
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Jesús Rodríguez Méndez by Myrna Parra-Mantilla, 2003, "Interview no. 989," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Interview in Spanish.