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Chronicling America
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Newspaper El Ocasional (Phoenix, A.T. [Ariz.]) 189?-18??

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About El Ocasional (Phoenix, A.T. [Ariz.]) 189?-18??

Jesus M. Melendrez published several newspapers in Arizona, and one of his earliest ventures was El Ocasional, a Spanish-language newspaper published in Phoenix. Melendrez started the four-page Ocasional in about 1897, and it was initially published twice per month. The masthead during that time stated: “Periodico Independiente, del Pueblo y para el Pueblo” (“Independent Newspaper, of the People and for the People”).

Melendrez was involved in civic organizations in Phoenix. In January 1898, a subscriber to Ocasional wrote a long letter, “Ya Es Tiempo” (“It is Time”) advocating for the formation of a Phoenix chapter of Alianza Hispano Americana, a mutual-aid society for Mexican Americans founded in Tucson a few years earlier. Melendrez published the letter on the front page. By October 1898, a Phoenix chapter had been formed, and Ocasional listed the officers and members, including Melendrez as secretary.

El Ocasional was filled with local community news, as well as national and international news of interest to its audience. Frequent columns included “Para Los Niños” (“For the Children”), local notes, “Ecos Sonorenses” (“Sonoran Echo”) with reports from newspapers in Mexico, poems, and train schedules. The paper sometimes listed times for church services and a list of saints’ days in a given month, as well as advertisements for bailes (“dances”) at the Club Social Mexicano. In April 1898, El Ocasional‘s front page reported on the earlier explosion of the USS Maine in Cuba, the subsequent declaration of U.S. war with Spain, and the call for a free and independent Cuba.

The newspaper also included political news, and El Ocasional sometimes endorsed particular candidates. When one of those candidates was successfully elected as Territorial Arizona’s delegate to Congress, the newspaper displayed a large image on the front page with an eagle, a shield with a flag, and a ribbon reading “Arizona Fiel a sus Principios, J.F. Wilson Electo” (“Arizona Faithful to its principles, J.F. Wilson Elected”) and “¡Gran Victoria!” (“Great Victory!”)

The newspaper suspended publication for several months in 1898. When it resumed in October 1898 as a weekly publication, Melendrez was joined by Pedro Villa as his co-publisher. In early 1899, a note in English was added to the masthead: “El Ocasional is the most popular Spanish journal published in Arizona. Its circulation makes it the best advertising medium.” The newspaper also had subscription advertisements in its own pages, including one both in English – “The only Spanish Weekly in Maricopa County that goes to every Spanish speaking home every week” – and in Spanish – “Unico Periodico Mexicano…y vale la suscrición por un año.” (“Only Mexican Newspaper…and the subscription is worth one year.”)

By July 1899, Villa had departed the newspaper, leaving Melendrez as sole publisher. El Ocasional ceased not long after, and Melendrez went on to start the long-running Spanish-language newspaper, El Mensajero, published in Phoenix starting in 1900.

Research provided by the University of Arizona Libraries.

Provided By: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ

About this Newspaper

Title

  • El Ocasional (Phoenix, A.T. [Ariz.]) 189?-18??

Dates of Publication

  • 189?-18??

Created / Published

  • Phoenix, A.T. [Ariz.] : J.M. Melendrez

Headings

  • -  Mexican Americans--Arizona--Newspapers
  • -  Hispanic Americans--Arizona--Newspaper
  • -  Phoenix (Ariz.)--Newspapers
  • -  Mexican Americans
  • -  Arizona
  • -  Arizona--Phoenix
  • -  United States--Arizona--Maricopa--Phoenix

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly, -
  • -  In Spanish.
  • -  Description based on: Año 15, no. (21 de nov. de 1897).

Medium

  • v.

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn96060841

OCLC Number

  • 35297537

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

El Ocasional Phoenix, A.T. Ariz. 189?-18??. (Phoenix, AZ), 189?. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn96060841/.

APA citation style:

(189?) El Ocasional Phoenix, A.T. Ariz. 189?-18??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn96060841/.

MLA citation style:

El Ocasional Phoenix, A.T. Ariz. 189?-18??. (Phoenix, AZ) 189?. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn96060841/.