MAE PARA PUZZI 

My father was born in Mexico and at the age of six the Mexican Revolution killed his mother and, supposedly, an older brother. They brought my father to the United States when he was six years old. He never went to school. My father was very smart. He learned how to read. He learned how to write and he could speak good English. He came to Bisbee with his family and he lived most of his life in Bisbee. 

This is where he met my mother.... 

(My father) always treasured his Mexican heritage. He was born a Mexican and he died a Mexican. He never became an American citizen. He was always loyal to Mexico. We are very proud of our Mexican heritage. My father has to be in heaven even though he was very tough. My father, when he said no, it was no! My father was very charitable; ...the little we had he would share. 

My mother was born in Silver City, New Mexico, and when she was born her mother died. She was left with her grandparents. About the time she was born (her) grandparents were moving to Mexico. They went to live in Chihuahua. She lived in Mexico until she was sixteen or seventeen. When (her) grandparents died they wrote my grandfather and told him that he better go for his daughter. My grandfather, he didn't know her, he didn't have too many feelings for her so she suffered under my grandfather. He wouldn't let her go anywhere and he didn't allow any boys or anyone to come. 

Lo and behold, somewhere, my mother and father met and I guess they fell in love with each other. Because my grandfather wouldn't let my father come to see my mother they would leave notes. Close to where my mother lived there was kind of a rocky section. They would leave notes under the rocks. 

(They) got married in 1915.... I was born in 1916. 

(My father) went from this job to that job. That's why it was so hard for us to make a living. We could never get any help because he was a Mexican citizen. Even though my mother was an American citizen, and we were born and raised here, we couldn't get any help. The majority of us started working and doing baby sitting and ironing and whatever we could when we were young. I remember ironing for a family for three days and getting 50�. I thought I had $500! I gave my mother the 50�. Fifty cents at that time bought a lot of things! 

We had a kind of a rough life. The only blessing we had was that we had my mother. She was an angel. She was always home, always doing for us. She made things. We would have a little bit of food and my mother would mix things and she would have enough to feed an Army. Also with her talents she sewed beautifully and she did fancy work and crochet. Our home - people thought we had a million dollars! 

There were six of us. My mother's life was a very hard life, as we look at it now. Whatever she had, she had to make.... She lived until she was 67. 

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