Violeta Mena


Bracero Oral History

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee

Efraín Benítez Satana was born on October 12, 1931, in Cutzamala de Pinzón, Guerrero, México; he has two siblings; in 1952, he entered the bracero program; he worked in Arkansas and Texas picking cotton.

Summary of Interview

Mr. Benítez Satana remembers his childhood in Cutzamala de Pinzón, Guerrero, México; he states that he grew up with two siblings; in 1952, he decided to join the bracero program due to economic need; he explains that he was contracted in Monterey, Nuevo Leon, México and then sent to Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; moreover, he outlines what the process was like to be contracted in the Irapuato center and then sent via train to the United States-México border; he remembers being deloused at the border and how he was then transported to his worksite; furthermore, he recalls that his first contract sent him to Arkansas, but his assignment was cancelled because the region had received very little rain; his next contract was at El Indio, Texas picking cotton; he relates that he worked under this contract until 1963; additionally, he describes working ten hour days and the amount of money he was paid for his labor; he asserts that he had very good relationships with the small group of braceros that work with him and that they often went to the movies on days off; to conclude, he states that he migrated to the United States after he left the bracero program in 1963, the same year his mother died.

Date of Interview


Length of Interview

41 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1208

Transcript Number

No. 1208

Length of Transcript

31 pages

Interview Number

No. 1208

Terms of Use



Interview in Spanish.