"My name is Thomas Mendez Ybarra. I was born in Morenci, Arizona on the seventh of September, 1912. I was raised in Morenci my whole life, except for two months in Aguas Calientes {Mexico}. My father’s name was Jose R. Ybarra and my mother’s name was Andrea Mendez, naturally Ybarra [also] because of my father. I cannot tell you where they came from. I never asked them. They were from Mexico. My mother was from the interior of Mexico.
I am the oldest. [We lived] en la Arizona, near the old mill. Later it was called el seis. Before that, Chiuhauhuita. My father was a miner; he worked in the mine. It belonged to Phelps Dodge. [My mother] was a housewife. She did a lot of things, my mother. She was very intelligent. She made soap, many things. Probably [she had an education in Mexico] but we never talked about it. When one is young, one pays little attention to many things.

We were in school the whole time we were young. There was a union at the time but I don’t know if my father participated like I did when I used to work. [My brothers and sisters are Cresensio, Antonio, Isiquiel, Fidel, Modesto [who] lives in San Diego, Enriquetta, Clotilde, Delfina, [and] Crecencia.

My father and brothers.

photo courtesy of Thomas Ybarra