"Gas Baths and the Bracero Program in New Mexico and Beyond," an award-winning exhibit created by Moriarty High School students Hannah Davis and Elena Dominguez, explores the intersection of public health, labor, and immigration in 20th-century New Mexico. Created for the 2024 New Mexico National History Day competition, the exhibit uses interpretive panels and a timeline constructed from glass bottles to tell the story of gas baths used to delouse braceros and other Mexican migrant workers, connecting it to the broader history of the Bracero Program. Student researcher Elena Dominguez discovered a personal connection to the topic when she learned her grandfather was a bracero.

The exhibit focuses on the Gas Baths and Bracero Program. In 1917 a system of gas baths was introduced by the Mexican government in response to outbreaks of typhus fever, which is a disease spread through lice. These gas baths eventually became the model used by border towns throughout the U.S. This history is linked with the Bracero Program, which was an agreement between the U.S. and Mexico introduced in the 1940s that allowed Mexican labor into the U.S. There was a demand for farm labor throughout the U.S. due to the increased need for food production and many New Mexico farms and ranches utilized the Bracero Program. Braceros were subjected to toxic pesticide spraying for decades, until the program ended in the 1960s, at which point health authorities admitted the system’s inherent dangers. Although the program ended, the migratory flow between the United States and Mexico continued. American farmers and growers continue to rely on Mexican migrant labor.

The Bracero Program in New Mexico had personal implications for many. While researching her National History Day exhibit, student Elena Dominguez made a personal discovery: her grandfather was part of the Bracero Program.

New Mexico’s National History Day program is a year-long academic competition for students in grades 6 through 12 promoting inquiry, research using primary sources, and presentations, allowing students to pursue their passions.

In New Mexico, National History Day is sponsored by the New Mexico Humanities Council, which supports public programs throughout the state to inspire inclusive conversations that strengthen our civil society and celebrate diverse human experiences. The New Mexico History Museum plays a key role in this program, hosting the northern regional competition and exhibiting outstanding student projects that explore New Mexico history.

View the exhibit in the Palace of the Governors, room 9.

Image credit: Bracero crew, 1961. Ernest Lowe Photography Collection, UC Merced. Calisphere.