Maria Amparo Hernandez Cruz(nee Ramos)

Maria De Los Reyes in (1967)

San Antonio, Texas

March 2013

Maria De Los Reyes(nee Hernandez)

Palo Alto College

History 1302 - Spring 2013

 

INTRODUCTION

This biography is about my mother who I am very proud of because she has raised me to become the woman I am today. Her name is Maria Amparo Ramos. She was born and raised in Leon Guanajuato, Mexico on May 11, 1949. Her parents are Luis Estrada and Soledad Ramos. She is the oldest of nine children and her siblings from oldest to youngest are: Maria Amparo Ramos (my mother), Ramon Ramos, Felipa Ramos, Maria de la Luz Ramos, Manuel Ramos (deceased), Juanita Ramos, Bernadina Ramos, Juan Solis and Mario Solis. She never had the opportunity get an education because she had to help my grandmother with her brothers and sisters. Married my dad Margarito Hernandez Cruz 48 years ago. They migrated to the United States in 1964 and had two children which are my oldest sister Juanita Martinez(nee Hernandez) and Maria Ninfa de los Reyes(nee Hernandez). Was deported to Mexico in 1980 so the whole family went back to Mexico. She setup a taco stand at home and started selling food. She didnt come back to the U.S. until she became a legal resident in 1996. She is Catholic and has been a housewife all life, enjoys grandkids, and beliefs that when you help others from the bottom of your heart GOD will give you more.

 

TRANSCRIPTION

Are you ready to talk about you?
Oh God, I'm a little nervous because I have never shared my stories with anyone. (smiles)

Why didn't you go to school?
There was no time for me to go to school. I had to help my mother at the Mercado selling vegetables in our stand we would setup. I remember I was about 8 years old when she would wake us up at 4:00 a.m. every day and we would be on our way. When I got older I worked in different things for example; I would walk the streets sellingsweet bread from a basket that I carried on my head . I was also a zapatera in Leon Guanajuato. Thats where I met your dad(smiles).

Would you have wanted to go to school if given the chance?
It is a big advantage to know how to read and write. There are kids out there nowadays that are throwing a great opportunity to the trash. They don't know what they are missing. When I lived in Nuevo Laredo there was a program for adult education in neighborhoods. My neighbors would come to my house because I hosted it but it was difficult for me to learn.

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How was your childhood in Mexico? Did you have friends and how different was your life to theirs?
I didnt enjoy my life as a child I had so many responsibilities. Because we were so poor and so many we were always hungry. The difference between my friends and I was that they did not have alot of siblings like I did. My friends had a chance to play outside. All of my friends were girls and I would see them get a new dress or a new pair of shoes. That is something we could never get. All of our clothes, shoes and toys were hand-me-downs.

Is there anything you remember of when you were a kid living in Mexico that brings a smile to your face?
I had my tia Felipa and my tio Tiburcio who lived not that far from where we lived. They would always look out for me. When I was real hungry me and your uncle Ramon would go to their house we knew for sure they would feed us.

What would you eat at their house?
(smiles)She would give us patitas de pollo(chicken feet), nopalitos and sometimes if were lucky we would have caldo de menudencias.

How did you meet my dad and how old were you when you met him?
(laughs) We used to go to the restroom to a milpa and he was under a mesquite tree doing nothing. I saw him several times and one day he started talking to me. I don't know how it just happened. I was 14 years old and he was 18.

Why did you marry so young?
I was tired of being hungry all the time. My dad drank alcohol a lot so when he would come home he would always hit me. I was tired of that so I left with your dad. Your dad was working so I knew he would provide for me.

Who, What, Where, When

What did your parents say when you left with my dad?
My mother got very upset because I left. My uncles went to talk to your dad but your dad knew the situation I was living in; so he hid me in his grandmother's house. I had to wait a couple of weeks to see my mother. She then accepted your dad.

What made you decide to come to the United States and where did you settle?
My mother had separated from my dad and she decided to come to the United States. So I decided along with your dad to follow her. We first came to San Antonio then we moved to Cleveland, Texas. Your dad found a job right away in a lumber company. We were I think the fourth Mexican family to arrive there.

How was your journey to get here and how did you get here?
Back then immigration was not as bad as it is now. We crossed the river back and forth several times before we got deported to Mexico. It took us three weeks to get here the first time. We walked all the way to San Antonio stopping at farms along the way to ask for water and food.

What happened before you got deported ?
Well your dad's grandmother became very ill and passed away. We left to Leon for her funeral and on our way back we were crossing the river back to the United States in a lancha when Immigration agents were waiting for us on the other side with a gun pointing at us. The coyotes jumped into the water and left us there. we were given six months to take care of our things and sell what we had to because we had a deportation order. Immigration agents came to pick us up and flew us to Matamoros, Mexico. Your dad had his brother Aurelio who lived in Nuevo Laredo and went to pick us up in Matamoros. That's how we ended up in Nuevo Laredo where we lived for over 20 years.

Who, What, Where, When

Was it hard for you to adapt to a new place and start all over?
It was a little difficult to adjust to living with family when I was used to live with my family in my house. It is never good to live with inlaws(laughs)they are to nosey. We started to work and just adapted. In a way we were happy to live there.

If you could would you go back to Mexico?
Of course, this country has given us a life we would've never had in Mexico but I miss my country. My roots are over there. Mexico is a different environment. I am happier over there. I will be here in the United States as long as my mother is alive.

 

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Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
Only that you never know what life has in store for you but we each have a destiny and a purpose in life. We all know where we were born but we don't know where our life will end.

Your Name and Your Interviewee- recent photo- taken during the interview?

ANALYSIS

When I first started this assignment I didn't think too much about it. It was hard to start because the person I was going to interview was my mother. I thought I knew everything about her. My mother had never talked about her life as a child and how hard it was for her because she was the oldest. Being the oldest for her was even harder because she had the responsibility on her shoulders to take care of her siblings. I knew she married young but didn't know in depth the circumstances she was living in before she left her mother's side. My opinion on immigration is now stronger than it was before I guess because I have learned more details from someone close to me. My mother's feelings towards immigration issues have not changed as well. I learned that immigration has been an issue for the longest time and how hard it is for immigrants to get come to the United States in search of a better life unaware of what he future may bring.My mother answered all of my questions and did not hesitate to answer a single one of them. She is proud of being of Hispanic origin and has never regretted coming to the United States because she says she is happy that my sister and I ended up having a better life than she did when she was little. I guess that's why I was amazed when she said she was willing to go back to Mexico later on in the future. I don't understand why she would want to do that because Mexico is not in the same situation as it was 15 years ago when we used to live there. At the end of this interview and after I presented it I was proud to talk about my mother's life and her journey to the United States. This is an awesome project because we learn new things about our family history. I have something to show to my kids and grandkids when my parents are no longer here.

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