Interview no. 1407

Mr. Martínez talks about working for a company that processed tobacco prior to deciding to enlist in the bracero program; in 1959, when he was nineteen years old, he traveled to Tijuana, Baja California, México, where his sister lived, to begin the process by getting on the list of available workers; from there he went to Empalme, Sonora, México, where he was quickly examined and then transported by train to Mexicali, Baja California, México; while there, he underwent more extensive exams before arriving at the work camp in Arizona; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona and California, picking carrots, cotton, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, peaches and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp sizes, housing, living conditions, accommodations, provisions, duties, routines, treatment, payments, remittances, relationships, correspondence and recreational activities, including trips into town; moreover, he recalls pointing out the mistakes one foreman made while calculating numbers before the checks were made and getting into trouble; the foreman did not appreciate it, and the workers were no longer allowed to see any of the paperwork prior to receiving their checks; during another contract, officials checked to make sure the men had heaters, which they did not; his employers were forced to provide heaters, but when the officials left, they lowered the temperature, which essentially left cold air circulating; in Arizona, they were able to visit family in México on weekends; he immigrated to the United States in 1962 and met his wife; they married in 1964, and they went on to have three children and seven grandchildren