Around 1918, Juana Gallegos moved with her parents from the hacienda her father managed to Mexico City, where the family had political connections. After President Venustiano Carranza was deposed, Juana and her mother returned to Matehuala and in 1923 emigrated to the United States to escape the ongoing turmoil of the revolution

In 1928 Juana Gallegos married Adolfo Valadez, a fellow immigrant from Matehuala. To attend the wedding, Adolfo's parents and siblings braved cold and rain as they drove 14 hours in an open-sided car for 200 miles from Houston to San Antonio.