¡Hola a todos!

Mi nombre es Mirtha Hortencia Jáquez Meraz. I was born and raised in a small town in Chihuahua, Mexico called Nonoava with my seven siblings and both of my parents. We all stayed together until 1985 when we our family split. My mom along with several of my siblings and I moved to another more urban town named Aldama, which is about five hours from Nonoava. We did this in order to obtain a better education. My dad stayed working in the fields and sometimes my siblings and I would go and help him.

Once I finished la secundaria, the equivalent of middle school, I went back to Nonoava and joined my dad in the fields. We would cultivate maíz y frijol, corn and beans. I would sometimes sneak away to Aldama and search for work to earn my own money, but that stopped once my dad found out. After that, I stayed in Nonoava until my father became very ill. The lack of financial resources encouraged me to come to the United States.

I came to Colorado in 1995, returned to Mexico and came back to Colorado in 1998. I’m currently living in Carbondale, Colorado with my three children and my husband. I visit my family in Mexico every now and then, but the experience is definitely different from when I was growing up. I really miss my hometown.