Centeno-Vega Family
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Born in 1905, Delfina (Centeno) Vega lived in Chandler starting in 1917. Her family migrated to the United States at the turn of the century; her grandparents, Anselmo and Ramona Centeno, left Mexico to settle in Arizona. Her father Trinidad often returned to Mexico, where he met his wife Senovia, and started a family. He came to Chandler to work, sending his earnings to his family in Mexico. In 1910, Senovia and her oldest daughter moved to Chandler. Delfina and her older sister stayed in Mexico with their mother’s parents, Francisco Sarate and Carlota Madrigal.
By 1917, Trinidad had earned enough money to bring the rest of his family to Chandler. By this time, Delfina was 11 years old and didn’t recognize her mother. She started working in the fields with her family at the age of 12, harvesting cotton. Though she was old enough to go to school, she opted to work because she could contribute more to the family’s livelihood. Delfina’s family lived in a small wood frame houselocated near the cotton fields, along with other workers of Mexican descent.
When Delfina was 18, she’d worked in the fields for several years and had a boyfriend who she wanted to marry. Her father asked her to reconsider because he felt she was too young. She says, “I remember thinking at the time that I would grow old and never get married.” She eventually married her long-time love, Julio Vega, in 1927. Delfina fondly remembers planning her wedding. The family traveled by wagon to downtown Phoenix to buy a wedding dress and veil. The journey was so long that they stayed overnight at the Westward Ho. The best man and maid of honor arranged for mariachis to entertain, and Julio’s family prepared the wedding dinner. They were married for sixty-two years, until his death in 1989. She raised her five children in a small home on Saragosa Street.
Delfina was raised with strong faith and attributes her belief in God as the way she endured all the rough times. She often attended Mass and is proud that her husband Julio helped to build St. Mary’s Church in Chandler.