Interview no. 1234

Mr. Nuñez briefly talks about his family; he was working in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México, when he first heard about the bracero program; he decided to enlist, and three months later, he went to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he waited a week and a half to obtain a contract; he offers a detailed description of the entire process he underwent in México and the United States, including being stripped, medically examined and fumigated, which was especially humiliating and discriminatory; many men even broke out into rashes from the poison used during fumigation; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, primarily picking avocados; he goes on to detail camp sizes, housing, accommodations, amenities, provisions, duties, routines, treatment, payments, remittances, friendships, working relationships and recreational activities; Lucio also explains that the men were provided with sheets, blankets, towels and soap; initially, he picked tomatoes for a week and a half, before being taken to work in an avocado orchard on his own; because he worked alone, he was able to earn seventy to eighty dollars every two weeks; although the men were cared for if they were sick, he often chose to go to Tijuana, Baja California, México instead, and pay for his own pills; he also discusses the difficultly in transitioning to life in México after the program with significantly less money; he eventually immigrated to the United States where he raised a family of six with his wife and later became a citizen; overall, he has positive memories of having been a bracero