About El sol. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1939-1981
Phoenix, Ariz. (1939-1981)

El sol

El Sol was one of the largest Spanish-language newspapers in Phoenix. The paper was founded in 1939 by married couple Jesús Franco and Josefina Carrascoso de Franco, who were considered "powerful leaders in Phoenix's Mexican community" (Frank M. Barrios, Mexicans in Phoenix, 2008). In the 1930s, they had established the Fiestas Patrias in Phoenix, celebrating Mexico's Independence Day. Jesús was an organizer of activist community groups like Alianza Hispano-Americano in Arizona and Texas; Josefina was described by the Arizona Republic as "champion of Arizona-Mexico relations." El Sol's pages frequently featured news about these community activities. In 1939, a disagreement related to the annual Fiestas Patrias celebration between Jesús Franco and Gregorio Moreno, president of Alianza Hispano-Americano, played out in a series of columns and editorials in both El Sol and fellow Phoenix Spanish-language newspaper El Mensajero.

El Sol was a strong voice for the Mexican American community in Phoenix. It regularly focused on local news, from social to political, and covered issues of importance to its community, such as discrimination against Mexican Americans in Phoenix. There were also articles about braceros, from headlines about the arrival of hundreds of agricultural workers from Mexico, to reports about legislation affecting the program. Advertisements for local businesses like Teatro Rex that showed films from Mexico were common, as was poetry, a literary column, corridos, and even occasionally sheet music. El Sol often had lengthy editorials. In some, the paper advocated for unity among the United States and Latin American countries, and for many years, the newspaper's slogan was "Spanish Pan-American Weekly Newspaper."

El Sol also focused on national and international news, frequently highlighting stories about Latin American countries, such as elections in Mexico. There was extensive coverage of World War II and support of the war efforts, including a 1943 fundraising drive in the newspaper to send cigarettes to soldiers; donors had their names printed in the paper. In 1944, the newspaper started honoring Mexican American soldiers on the front page under the heading "Honor Y Gloria" – a "galería de los valientes muchachos de nuestra raza que luchan por la LIBERTAD en defensa de las democracias" ["portraits of the brave young men from our community who fight for our FREEDOM in defense of our democracies"] – with their photographs and information about their service and families.

From 1947 to 1953, Jesús was the Mexican consul for Arizona, and Josefina continued to publish El Sol. Marceliano Carrascoso Vargas was listed as director from 1947 to 1958, after which Josefina's name appeared on the front page as director. The newspaper was published weekly, except for briefly publishing twice a week in 1942. The Franco family continued to publish the paper until 1981, with Jesús and Josefina's daughter Mary Jo Franco-French serving as publisher and editor 1970-1980. F. Xavier Murrieta took over ownership for a year, and the paper became El Sol de Arizona. In 1982, the newspaper's name was changed back to El Sol, and Voz Hispana, Inc., took over as publisher until 1998, when the newspaper ceased.

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