Efren Carrizales was born in central Mexico in 1928. Son of a railroad engineer, he attended college and worked in a textile factory before meeting and marrying Concepcion Davila, a nurse.

They had three children and were building a house when work ran out for Efren. With the help of his mother-in-law, he was able to get his green card and move his family to northern Mexico, across the border from Brownsville, Texas. For a while, Efren worked in Texas, but work was limited.