Origins, History, Race and Identity

BARTOLO: When I first saw the ranch here, there were about forty-five little wooden houses, made from wooden shingles and a few other shacks, made of grass. In some parts there were little houses with four corners made from palm branches. There were about six or seven of those little shacks and people who couldn't afford the shingles lived there. At that time the shingles were cheap, one hundred for three pesos. And now the ranch has been improving because at the most there are about eight little houses made of shingles. But before little houses were wooden.

ROWELL: How did people live at that time? Were they farmers? How did they get food?

BARTOLO: There was only the harvest of pepper, tomatoes, beans, and corn. Some of it was sold; some of the beans and tomatoes were taken to Xalapa to sell. We had to. People still do it to support themselves. Back then, there wasn't work like the "hacienda"[the Mexican equivalent of plantation in structure and size, but without slaves]brought here in 1927. They began to form those "haciendas"to plant sugar cane and all that. So during that time we would go there to work. They had areas for coffee, for mango, and then for sugar cane. We would go to the sugar cane planting and then later to cut it. But before, there were no cars or trucks. The cane was carried in carts. It wasn't until about 1930 that they brought a car to Almolonga. The first automobile that they brought from the state of Hidalgo was to carry sugar cane sugar to Xalapa.

ROWELL: How were you paid then?

BARTOLO: During that time, the most we earned was fifty cents or seventy-five cents, because back then cents were used. Two cents or five cents or seventy-five cents that we earned daily. Later it was raised to one peso. Later the pay was one dollar and fifty cents.

ROWELL: How did you arrive here at Coyolillo? Did you arrive alone or did you arrive with your family?

BARTOLO: No, my grandparents were from here.

ROWELL: Oh, so you were born here?

BARTOLO: Yes, yes. In 1918.

ROWELL: Where did your grandparents come from?

BARTOLO: Well, I believe they were born here too. My mom was from the state of Puebla. It's just that during the time of the revolution people went from one place to another. And she was from Puebla. My grandparents were from here. Later we began to plant mango. And we were able to help ourselves with the fruit—that is, selling the fruit.

ROWELL: When you were young was there school here in Coyolillo?

BARTOLO: There was only one teacher who came and gave classes, but there weren't teachers sent by the government. Around 1930 the government began to parcel out teachers. So then I was in school, but only night school. I went to school for two hours.

ROWELL: Were there medical doctors here in Coyolillo then?

BARTOLO: No, no doctors. I went to the San Antonio Hacienda. There was a doctor. San Antonio Tepetlan is what they called it.

ROWELL: How far from here is it? How long did it take to get to San Antonio?

BARTOLO: Well, it took about three hours.

ROWELL: When did you begin working and how long have you worked?

BARTOLO: From about seven years old to sixty-eight years. I stopped working around then.

ROWELL: And when you were seven, how much time did you work on the farms? How much time did you work planting?

BARTOLO: Well, the planting was in May and June, and we planted corn. The pepper, tomatoes—from October onward.

ROWELL: And at what time of the day did you begin to work, and at what time would you finish?

BARTOLO: From eight in the morning until five in the afternoon. From eight to five.

ROWELL: Do you know who founded...