Roxanne,

I would like to add to Emily's response. It's true that "jornalero" is a very old word in Spanish. The words "jornal, jornada, jornalero" all derive from the same root word. Webster's unabridged dictionary shows that Old French had the words "journal, jornal, jurnal" and all meant "daily". The Latin word "dies = day" and "diurnalis = daily" eventually morphed into the Spanish words above. The English word "journey" used to mean a day's work. That meaning for journey is obsolete now. "Jornalero" simply means a person who works per "jornada". [Words can be interesting.]

David in Albany, CA

-----Original Message-----
>From: roxanneocampo@sbcglobal.net
>Sent: Mar 20, 2010 7:44 PM
>To: general@lists.nuestrosranchos.org
>Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] Jornalero
>
>Would the term “Jornalero,” referenced in civil records from San Miguel el Alto, Jalisco during the late 1800’s, have the same translation today? I’ve heard several translations of this term including “day laborer,”and “agricultural worker.” Since the concept of a “day laborer” would not have existed during that time period, does anyone have a historically correct definition?
>Gracias, Roxanne Ocampo
>

I think day laborers have always existed. Jornal means "work by the day". Ranchers would farm out their temporary help wherever needed for the day or other time period, or those who didn't have land would travel around looking for work.

In New Mexico there is a place called Jornada del Muerto. It was a desert that took one day to cross in the 1500s to 1800s before fast cars, and you were dead if the Apaches caught you there or you died of thirst, etc. The Spaniards in the late 1500s named it that, so the term "jornalero" has been around for centuries.

Emilie

Port Orchard, WA

> To: general@lists.nuestrosranchos.org
> From: roxanneocampo@sbcglobal.net
> Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:44:42 -0700
> Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] Jornalero
>
> Would the term “Jornalero,” referenced in civil records from San Miguel el Alto, Jalisco during the late 1800’s, have the same translation today? I’ve heard several translations of this term including “day laborer,”and “agricultural worker.” Since the concept of a “day laborer” would not have existed during that time period, does anyone have a historically correct definition?
> Gracias, Roxanne Ocampo
>