About Us: The History
La Huerta Guarderías
(The Orchard Daycare Centers)
As few as a ten years ago, the San Quintin Valley was well-known for its
migratory workers. Most of these agricultural fieldworkers were native
Indians who came from the state of Oaxaca (wah-ha-ca), mainland Mexico.
Some worked in the fields and some in packing houses. Many were
brought here by local ranchers who housed then in shabby, unsanitary
units, usually made of tin, and at best, provided them with a low wattage
light bulb dimly lighting the one-room quarters when power was available.
Bathrooms and shower houses were community property and located a
distance from their housing. Many outhouses merely had a hole in a
board with the board covering a hole in the ground. Some ranchers had a
"company store" and the workers ran up a credit account to be paid every
two weeks when the rancher made payroll. Nearly all the workers lived
with and worked for the same rancher year after year. Most of the workers
had no transportation of their own and were driven to the fields in the
"company" bus by drivers there were not always qualified to be driving
such a vehicle. They were up early to catch the bus and brought back late
in the evening. During harvest time, most worked one and a half shifts per
6-day week or when necessary, double shifts, 7 days a week; all for
minimum pay per day (in those days, $5) plus a little more if on overtime.
At times, failure-to-thrive or handicapped children were born and these
very poor people did not have the resources to obtain proper medical
attention or sufficient nutrition for their babies. These sickly and unwanted
babies filled the orphanages in the area. The majority of these children
did not even have names due to the cultural beliefs of the parents. Their
philosophy was that if the children lived to age two, he/she was a survivor,
a gift from God, and strong enough to then be named. Some believed that
if they named the child at birth, the devil could call him by name into an
early death. Some believed that if they birthed twins, one was of the devil
