Traquero
Encyclopedia
A traquero is a railroad track worker, especially a Mexican
or Mexican American
railroad track worker ("gandy dancer
" in American English
usage). The word derives from "traque", Spanglish
for "track".
While the U.S. railroad track force in the Southwest had always included some Mexican and Mexican American workers, their numbers were greatly increased following the exclusion of the Chinese and the recruitment and training of Mexican rail workers in Mexico
as part of the construction of railroads in Mexico, financed largely by U.S. railroad companies, in particular, the Santa Fe
and the Southern Pacific
. The peak of traquero employment programs took place between 1880 and 1915, right before the Mexican Revolution
and federal restrictions placed on Mexican immigration by the 1930s.
The Pacific Electric interurban system in the Los Angeles
area was constructed by a workforce which was largely made up of traqueros.
Many traqueros lived in characteristic shanty town
s of old boxcars which could be seen throughout the U.S. Southwest, in some places right up to the middle of the 20th century. Other communities of traqueros were founded in mobile tent
camps before permanent dwellings can be built.
The Watts
section of Los Angeles originated as a traquero settlement. Another known community sprouted from its traquero origins was Perris, California
, about 30 miles south of Riverside, California
. And the twin cities of Coachella
and Indio
in Southern California are founded by traqueros in the early 1900s.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
or Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
railroad track worker ("gandy dancer
Gandy dancer
Gandy dancer is a slang term used for early railroad workers who laid and maintained railroad tracks in the years before the work was done by machines....
" in American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
usage). The word derives from "traque", Spanglish
Spanglish
.Spanglish refers to the blend of Spanish and English, in the speech of people who speak parts of two languages, or whose normal language is different from that of the country where they live. The Hispanic population of the United States and the British population in Argentina use varieties of...
for "track".
While the U.S. railroad track force in the Southwest had always included some Mexican and Mexican American workers, their numbers were greatly increased following the exclusion of the Chinese and the recruitment and training of Mexican rail workers in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
as part of the construction of railroads in Mexico, financed largely by U.S. railroad companies, in particular, the Santa Fe
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
and the Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
. The peak of traquero employment programs took place between 1880 and 1915, right before the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
and federal restrictions placed on Mexican immigration by the 1930s.
The Pacific Electric interurban system in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area was constructed by a workforce which was largely made up of traqueros.
Many traqueros lived in characteristic shanty town
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
s of old boxcars which could be seen throughout the U.S. Southwest, in some places right up to the middle of the 20th century. Other communities of traqueros were founded in mobile tent
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
camps before permanent dwellings can be built.
The Watts
Watts, Los Angeles, California
Watts is a mostly residential neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.-History:The area now known as Watts is located on the Rancho La Tajauta Mexican land grant...
section of Los Angeles originated as a traquero settlement. Another known community sprouted from its traquero origins was Perris, California
Perris, California
Perris is a city in Riverside County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city population was 68,386, up from 36,189 at the 2000 census. The city is named in honor of Fred T. Perris, chief engineer of the California Southern Railroad...
, about 30 miles south of Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
. And the twin cities of Coachella
Coachella, California
Coachella is a city in Riverside County, California; it is the easternmost city in the region collectively known as the Coachella Valley...
and Indio
Indio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
in Southern California are founded by traqueros in the early 1900s.