Bracero Worker History Week observed in Monterey County

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — During Bracero Worker History Week, Monterey County paid tribute to a worker who survived the 1963 tragedy in Chualar.

On Tuesday, 84-year-old Isidro Hernández Tovar was presented with an award for his work. Tovar currently lives in Tapachula near Los Angeles.

In an interview with historian Jose Sánchez, Tovar recalled that on September 17, 1963 he was riding on that bus. He was one of the youngest farm workers at barely 18 years old.

Tovar says that at least three of his fellow workers, originally from Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, were also on the truck.

The Chualar tragedy claimed 32 lives and left 25 others injured. Several of the injured were admitted to a hospital in the Monterey area, according to testimonies and medical records from that time.

Some of the survivors who Sánchez interviewed, spoke about their experiences while under the care of nurses.

In his most recent collection, Sánchez published a new compilation highlighting the surviving farmhands and their memories during the moment they regained consciousness, many of them learning about the tragedy that had taken the lives of their coworkers for the first time.

Tovar also remembered how he survived serious injuries, spending one month in the hospital.

He still carries with him the memory of that time in his life, a part of local history in Monterey County.

This is a developing story, we will have more details.