Facundo Jardón: An Interview With My Father

For the Oral History project, I decided to interview my uncle, Facundo Jardón. He is a middle-aged man who migrated from Mexico years ago and has lived in Southern California for more than half his life. He is a stubborn, strong-willed man whose country’s poverty and crime forced him to leave behind his beloved mother, as well as adolescent younger brothers and sisters. Despite the drastic change in environment, he has come to assimilate and adopted some of the Mainstream culture expressed in the United States, particularly in Southern California. Born in the D.F., his home was located a ways from the capital in a small town. He grew up to be the oldest of 10 children. When his father passed away, the family’s socioeconomic status lower because his father was the breadwinner of the household. At the age of about 15 he began working odd jobs to help out his family, but for him, that wasn’t enough. He had
Therefore, they could not count on that to help with expenses. So he set off to the United States, where he would unknowingly begin his new life. Upon arrival, the differences between the United States, particularly Southern California, and his hometown were striking to him. Though over time he has grown accustomed to and even adopted some of the local and national customs. To begin, in my uncle's birth community, women took on the role of a housewife, plus lightweight farm chores, such as feeding the chickens and watering the animals. Furthermore, while most women went to school, they usually finish only til the high school level. Most women went and got married before the age of 20. So while the women were at home taking care of the kids, the man would be working to bring food to the table. Men within this community were expected to be the breadwinner, as well as the one who managed the land and its use. My uncle still carried some of these ideas with him, but he