8. Latina Baker with Chicharrones de Puerco, 2000

Professional photographer Paulina Hermosillo took this ca. 2000 photograph of a woman working at the Panaderia San Gabriel, a bakery in Independence, Polk County. The baker is holding a tray of chicharrones de puerco, or pork rinds.

Mexican agricultural laborers first migrated to Independence during World War II, as part of the Bracero Program – an agreement made between the American and Mexican governments that brought seasonal farm workers to the United States. After the war, Mexican men, women, and children continued to travel to farms in Oregon and throughout the West to thin and harvest crops in a seasonal circuit. In Independence, many picked hops during the August and September harvest.