Interview no. 1453

Ms. Salcedo talks about what her life was like growing up; she vividly recalls having to collect buckets of water on a daily basis from a river that was relatively far away; when she was sixteen years old, she met a man on her ranch, and soon after, they married; his parents passed away when he was eleven years old, leaving him the home where he and María lived; by 1955, they had three children, and he decided to enlist in the bracero program; he left with a group of men from nearby ranches; ultimately, he went through contracting centers in Empalme, Sonora and Guadalajara, Jalisco, México and completed a total of five contracts; sometimes, he would leave in the middle of a crop season, and María had to learn how to work in the fields; she also learned how to cut and sell wood; oftentimes, she would balance the heavy loads of wood on her head; once, she even fell from a horse while gathering wood; she was pregnant at the time and permanently injured her back; her mother helped her take care of the children; on one occasion, she did not hear or receive money from her husband for four months; at the time, he was working twelve hours a day, watering alfalfa, and he did not know anyone who could write letters for him; when he did manage to send word home, his sister was the one who read and wrote for María; in addition, she mentions speaking to other braceros’ wives; to conclude, she talks about her children and the various places they live in the United States