Garcia, Felipe 1985-05-27
Felipe Garcia talks about his childhood in Mexico and the social and economic conditions he and his family experienced. He also explains why he moved to the United States and some personal issues while growing up.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: Berta Ramirez de Garcia
Additional Parties Recorded:
Date: May 27, 1985
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Interviewer: Yolanda Romero
Length:
Abstract
Tape 1, Side 1: Born in Los Tajos, San Luís Potosí, México; Parents: Father was born in San Luís Potosí, mother was born in Coahuila; Sisters: Names are not mentioned; Brothers: Candelario García, the names of the others are not mentioned; Mother: Casimira García, housewife; Father: Worked as administrator, labor contractor and owned a store.; Father, work and business in San Luís Potosí; “Comisaria” sold food and other supplies; Administrator in a mine in San Luís Potosí; Mexican revolution; Supplying food to the federal army; Supplying food to the revolutionaries; Store was burned; Moving to Monterrey; Father worked as an administrator; Father participated in the construction of the Pan-American Highway; Childhood; Felipe worked selling flowers, newspapers, etc.; His mother cooked tortillas to sell; Monterrey, Nuevo León; Felipe attended first and second grade of elementary school; Reynosa, Tamaulipas; Felipe studied and worked; He continued selling flowers and newspapers; Older brother worked but in Monterrey; Father did not work; Felipe was a boxer; Back to Monterrey; Felipe went back to school; Felipe was a wrestler; He also worked in tailoring, carpentry and in a store; Pharmacist agent of Bayer; In Laredo, Tamaulipas; Felipe met his future wife; She was 16 and he was 23; She seemed to be a good family girl; Felipe got married in Arrieros, Tamaulipas; They went back to Laredo; They opened a drugstore; The drugstore was profitable; Moving to Laredo, Texas ; Parents-in-law lived there; His wife moved first; They sold the drugstore; He moved and already had a job; His first son, Junior, died; He worked as a seller of insurance policies; He was called to the military service; His wife’s family persuaded them to move; The second baby, Blanca, is born; Economic problems,
Tape 1, Side 2:
Felipe’s mother;
Casimira had 21 children;
16 children died because of influenza;
Casimira got married when she was 13-14 years old;
Mexican Revolution;
Brutality of the soldiers towards women;
Violence towards those that complained;
Bad habits and women;
Father’s work;
In the mines of San Luís Potosí;
Labor contractor;
People that worked in the mines;
They were Mexicans;
Black people did not work or live there;
Racial groups: Indians, “mestizos”, Mexicans;
Family’s race;
Felipe’s grandfather was Toltec, Irineo Martinez;
Felipe’s grandmother was Spanish;
Social classes in México;
Rich, middle class and poor;
Problems of the poor people;
Problems during his childhood;
Lacked of food;
Felipe worked in a butcher store;
His mother washed clothes for money;
His mother cooked tortillas to sell;
The everyday plate were beans and tortillas;
Other plates: atole, chile, piloncillo, migas and machos;
The only ones that helped at home;
Felipe worked;
His brother Candelario also worked;
His sister helped sometimes at home.
Range Dates:
Bulk Dates:
Access Information
Original Recording Format: audio cassette
Recording Format Notes: digitized; CD available in Reading Room
Transcript: drafts of Spanish and English transcripts available in Reading Room
Thank you for your interest in this oral history interview. Our oral history collection is available to patrons in the Southwest Collection's Reading Room, located on the campus of Texas Tech University. For reading room hours, visit our website. Please contact Reference Staff at least one week prior to your visit to ensure the oral history you are interested in will be available. Due to copyright issues, duplications of our oral histories can only be made for family members. If an oral history transcript has been made available online, the link will be provided on this page. More information on accessing our oral histories is located here. Preferred citation style can be found here.
