Tag Archives: Michoacan

Perseverance in School Leads to Career (Mexico)

                  My name is Maricela (name changed) and I am 52 years old. I was born in Apatzingan but I grew up in Aguililla, Michoacan and now I live in California with my husband and three children. I am a Preschool teacher and I love working with my kids even though they ... Read More »

No Jobs – Must Move (Mexico)

        When I was young in Dos Aguas, Michoacan there were pine trees all around the mountains I lived in. Due to this, the main job for workers making a living in my town was working at the local  lumber mill. Every morning I would wake up to the sound of chickens and roosters clucking in the ... Read More »

Their Vision Became A Longterm Reality (Mexico)

My name is Cynthia Mendoza. I am 15 years old and my interviewees were my grandparents. My grandmother Angélica Cuevas de Ontiveros is 64 years old and my grandfather Francisco Ontiveros is 67 years old. I decided to interview my grandparents because I never got the full story and I feel that I can honor them through sharing their stories. ... Read More »

Rejoining Parents in a Safer Bay Area (Mexico)

              I grew up in a small town in my parents’ red brick home with my siblings. Our house was surrounded by mango trees and some land. Growing up, I would play outside in the hot sun with the neighborhood kids. In the mornings me and my brother would work and make tostadas outside. ... Read More »

Determined Mother Caretaker (Mexico)

                Rosalinda Cabrera (name changed), my mother who is 34 years old, immigrated from Michoacan, Mexico to Santa Rosa as a child. She later immigrated back to Mexico and immigrated to Los Angeles in 2005 when she was 17 years-old where she later moved to the Bay Area. For over 10 years, she ... Read More »

“Ahora estoy feliz” (Mexico)

    I migrated in 1995 from Michoacán, Mexico when I was only 4 years old. Me and my family wanted to migrate just like every other immigrant would want to migrate for, “the american dream”. I had to stay in Mexico with my grandparents, in a big house with not much furniture inside or beds as well as sofas, ... Read More »

Thirty-plus Years of a New Life

              I interviewed my father who is currently 47 years old and was born in Apatzingan Michoacan, Mexico. As a young child, he would migrate all over Mexico due to his father’s job. His father was a musician and they were constantly on the move until they settled in Nueva Italia, Mexico. He then ... Read More »

Leader of the “Colony”

                Neither of my parents were of the type that shared much about their growing up in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Both were born shortly before the Great Depression. Pictures of both appear to reflect that they each led hard-scrabble lives. Because they didn’t volunteer much, I wasn’t too curious as we later led ... Read More »

Challenges For a Young Immigrant (Mexico)

I was a teenager, only 15 years old. I was a person looking for a better future and a better way of living.  Me, my mom, and my stepdad left Michoacan, Mexico to live in the United States. My parents and I were living in Mexico, Michoacan 1978, which was in the center. Durante este tiempo el aire estaba limpio, ... Read More »

Chin Up and Success Follows

My journey begins in 1975 in a small town in Mexico, Guerrero Michoacán. The sun is up and the white truck with a big red speaker on it is already making its way around town announcing the newly married couple, and the dead cow by the river. Geez can’t he wait till noon to come around can you… I WANNA SLEEP ... Read More »