Bracero program detailed in NMSU Archive papers
Hispanic Heritage Month is a monthlong celebration beginning in September and wrapping up in October that recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans throughout the country.
Here in the NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections, we have stories tucked away that represent the Hispanic heritage. While browsing for pertinent collections, I researched various collections and located the Wendell Phillips Thorpe papers. The Thorpe papers captured my interest because they contain material relating to the bracero program. Growing up in an agricultural community, my grandfather would tell me his memories of working on a farm where he interacted with braceros. It was amazing hearing his experiences, and I wish I had recorded his recollections, but the importance and the value of oral histories is another post in itself.
While going through the Thorpe papers, I noticed that Wendell was heavily involved within the agriculture industry and held instrumental positions such as serving as the president of the New Mexico Farm Bureau and chairperson of the Doña Ana County Agricultural Labor Committee. Thorpe held these positions during the 1940s while the bracero program was being implemented. The papers contain a wealth of information relating to the program on the national, state and local level.
The bracero program was an agreement between the governments of the United States and Mexico which spanned from 1942-1964 where Mexican migrant workers were hired for seasonal periods due to labor shortages created by World War II. In the 1940s, there was a demand for farm labor due to the increased need for food production and many New Mexico farms and ranches utilized the help of braceros. To address the national shortage, many migrant workers traveled to obtain seasonal employment to harvest crops such as chile, cotton, pecans and other types of agricultural products. Leaving their families behind, the braceros traveled from their native land to seek seasonal employment and were set up with temporary living quarters to undertake and sustain harvesting jobs within the state.
In the Thorpe papers, a telegram dated Sept. 22, 1948, expresses the dire need to obtain braceros to assist as pickers. Another interesting find is titled “New Mexico farmers certified to recruit Mexican nationals.” The document consisted of a list of farmers broken down by county and how many braceros were recruited for each farm. The Thorpe papers provide valuable insight into this guest worker program.
It is evident that the bracero program assisted the farming industry while in desperate need until advances in the mechanization of the harvest became widespread.
Aside from the Thorpe papers, here are various Rio Grande Historical Collections archival holdings that highlight the diverse holdings relating to the Hispanic heritage of the region:
- Esther Chavez Cano papers
- Abe Peña papers
- Lorenzo Torrez papers
- Rudy S. Apodaca papers
- Cinco Punto Press records
- Amador family papers
- Armijo and Gallagher family papers
- Juan Jose and Rosaura Sanchez family papers
- Archivos Historicos del Arzobispado de Durango, Mexico
Jennifer Olguin, MLS, is the Rio Grande Historical Collections archivist with New Mexico State University Library Archives & Special Collections.
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