ABSTRACT
The rudimentary dwellings are overshadowed by gigantic chimneys of the coke ovens that the workers tend during shift hours. The coke works in which most Mexicans labored transforms coal into coke and other gases by raising it to a high temperature within huge ovens. Erving Goffman notwithstanding, the labor camp that began as atomistic bachelor quarters progressively became transformed into a Mexican village, or pueblo of sorts, inhabited by dozens of family groups. In keeping with the labor camp’s paradoxical character, it was, indeed, an example of the best of times, the worst of times, and an era in Pennsylvania Mexican-American history that fully merits a public record. The hostility and misunderstanding of their culture that Mexicans faced in Bethlehem encouraged them to adapt by turning inward to their total institution. A Mexican American who lived in the camp as a child vividly recalls its characteristics.
