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Historical Newspapers from 19th century Mexico
These historical newspapers are housed in various locations throughout the Library. Please consult title for location.
Ajusco
Chihuahua
Ciudad Victoria (Tamaulipas)
- Atalaya
(1834-1836) This thrice-weekly newspaper provides a view of the struggle over Texan independence from a border state that felt the direct effects of the conflict. Sometimes the official state newspaper and sometimes not, Atalaya’s coverage is nearly always favorable to Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and a strong central government, an unusual stance for provincial newspapers of the period. Contains some poetry as well as detailed coverage of both state and federal legislative sessions that directly affect Tamaulipas.
- El Defensor del Tamaulipas
(1847-1848) This newspaper in the capital of a border state provides a Mexican perspective on the Mexican-American War and the treaty negotiations that cost Mexico half its territory. It contains strong criticism of Mexican army and support for state militias. It is also interesting for a romance novel that appears in installments in several issues.
- Gaceta del Gobierno del Estado de las Tamaulipas
- Guia del Pueblo
- La Oliva
(1841) This bi-weekly border newspaper provides a look at independent Texas from across the border, documenting the unease that led up to the Mexican-American war. It also covers the ongoing struggles between Indians and settlers as well as instructions for raising cotton.
- El Tribuno del Pueblo
Durango
Galeana
Guadalajara
Hermosillo
Jalapa
- Boletin de Noticias
(1847) This weekly newspaper on an important trade route in Mexico’s most important coffee-growing region provides a useful perspective on the U.S. invasion of Mexico. Guerrilla activities and the actions of Mexico’s displaced government in Queretaro receive extensive coverage.
Matagorda
Matamoros
Merida
Mexico City
- Accion Mundial
- Aguila Mexicana
(1823- 1828) — Although not as complete as Yale’s holdings of El Sol, the Aguila Mexicana provides an alternative, federalist (yorkist) view of the issues the early Mexican republic confronted. In the folio-size, four-page newspaper, editor Lorenzo de Zavala took a more libertarian view of the press’ role, publishing provocative commentary and entertaining stories about the new capital’s social life that occasionally elicited reprimands from its more staid competitor and even its own readers. El Aguila’s coverage of debates over whether Mexico would send an expeditionary force to liberate Cuba from Spain provides an especially insightful look at an issue that shaped Mexico’s view of its role in Latin America.
- El Ahuizote (1874-1876)
Legendary weekly of political satire and cartoons. In humorous poetry and dialogues, the editors warned against re-election on the eve of the porfiriato, the 35-year dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz that ended in the Mexican Revolution. The weekly was so famous that the Flores Magon brothers named their 1910 newspaper supporting that revolution against Diaz El Hijo del Ahuizote. Targets included the courts that judged accusations of abuse of freedom of the press and the growing government bureaucracy. Besides humor that still provokes laughter in the twenty-first century, the publication contains laboriously executed lithographs.
- El Ahuizote Jacobino
- El Americano
- El Amigo de la Juventud
- El Amigo de la Patria
- El Amigo del Pueblo (1827-1828)
This self-styled literary, political, scientific and business weekly, is a forerunner of general interest news magazines. The yorkist editor devotes most of the space to in-depth articles, emphasizing “scoops,” such as the details of an important British loan to Mexico. An index in the back of the first year’s issue is useful. This publication was also part of the ongoing debates that took place on the pages of the Aguila Mexicana and El Sol.
- El Amigo del Pueblo (1845)
- Los Amigos del Pueblo
- Antorcha
(1833) — In an era when commenting on religion had been strictly forbidden, this daily, unabashedly proclaimed itself a newspaper on religion, politics and literature. The editors argued that religion could not be separated from politics as the government was attempting to do. They defended the privileges of the Roman Catholic Church at a time when liberals sought to curb the influence of the clergy, raising the specter of the French Revolution as a warning of the havoc that liberal governments wreak. The newspaper also covered the cholera epidemic in detail. The newspaper halted publication because of problems with its printer.
- Atleta
- El Ayo del Pueblo
(1833) A single issue of an anti-clerical newspaper, defending freedom of the press and advocating restrictions on church censorship.
- Boletin de la Ciudadela
- Boletin de la Democracia
- Boletin de Noticias (1840,1860)
- Boletin de Noticias, (1844-1845)
- Boletin de Noticias, (1846)
- Boletin de Noticias (1847)
- Boletin del Gobierno (1840, 1847)
- Boletin Oficial (1829)
- Boletin Oficial (1838)
- Boletin Oficial (1841)
- Boletin Oficial (1847)
- Boletin Oficial (1858-1859)
- Boletin Oficial (1859)
- Boletin Oficial de la Campana
- Boletin Oficial del Supremo Gobierno (1852-1853)
- Boletin Oficial del Supremo Gobierno (1853)
- Boletin Oficial del Supremo Gobierno (1856)
- Boletin Republicano
- El Boquiflojo
(1870) Single issue of a political satire newspaper, including critiques of articles that appeared in other newspapers of the era.
- La Bruja
- La Casera
- Catolico
- La Columna de la Constitucion Federa de la Republica Mexicana
(1832-1833) Despite the name, the five editions of this newspaper in the Yale Collection are mainly political propaganda, featuring short biographies of candidates for office. The newspaper is cited frequently in other publications of the period.
- La Constitucion
- Correo de la Federacion Mexicana
- El Correo de Mexico
- El Correo Nacional
- Corresponsal del Ejercito
- El Cosmoplita
- Le Courrier Francais
- El Coyote
- La Cuchara
- Daily American Star
- Defensor de la Nacion
- Defensor de Mexico
- El Democrata
- Diario del Gobierno de la Republica Mexicana
- Diario Literario de Mexico
- Diario Oficial del Supremo Gobierno
- El Domingo, 1863
- El Domingo, 1871-1873
- Don Quijote, 1871-1873
- Don Simplicio
- El Eco del Circo
(1867) A clever early advertising vehicle: a promotional pamphlet in the form of a newspaper.
- El Educador Pratico Ilustrado
- Efemerides de Mexico Sobre el Patriotismo e Ilustracion de los Espanoles
(1810) Published the same year that Miguel Hidalgo began Mexico’s struggle for independence, this occasional publication discusses patriotism in light of the Napoleonic invasion of Spain.
- El Equilibrio
(1840) The single issue in the Yale collection commemorates the ninth anniversary of Vicente Guerrero’s execution with sonnets and by re-publishing the documents of his trial and execution order.
- La Esperanza
- El Estandarte Nacional, Federacion y Tejas
- El Faro
- El Fenix de la Libertad
(1831-1834) Run by liberal activists Ignacio Cumplido and Vicente Rocafuerte, this semi-weekly attracted contributions from the nation’s leading political thinkers. It was among the first Latin American newspapers to promote religious tolerance. In doing so, it pushed the limits of press freedom and covered its own trials for abuse of freedom of the press. The newspaper also covered rebellions in Veracruz and Yucatan and the repressive government responses to them closely. It chronicles Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s transition from national hero to president to dictator. El Fenix was a forum for discussion, publishing individual defenses appealing to public opinion and exchanges between proponents of competing ideas. Cumplido later founded Siglo XIX, one of Mexico’s long-lived newspapers.
- Gaceta de Cayo-puto
- Gaceta del Gobierno de Mexico
- Gaceta del Gobierno Imperial de Mexico
- Gaceta del Gobierno Supremo de Mexico
- Gaceta del Gobierno Supremo de la Federacion Mexicana
- Gaceta Diaria de Mexico
- La Gacetilla
- La Gazeta de Mexico
- Gazette Officielle de l'Empire Mexicain
- El Globo
- El Hermano del Perico que Cantaba la Victoria
(1834) A thinly veiled allegory in installments by Jose Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi, who wrote under the nom de plume El Pensador Mexicano and was the author of El Periquillo Sarniento, often named the first Hispanic-American novel. It sometimes refers explicitly to Spanish attempts to reconquer Mexico.
- El Hijo del Ahuizote
- El Hombre Libre
- El Imparcial
- El Independiente
- Juan Diego
- Lima del Vulcano
(1834-1837) Publishing twice or three times a week, and even daily for a short while, La Lima de Vulcano was the feisty rival of El Sol’s later days. Created as an unabashedly opposition newspaper, La Lima pushed the envelope of press freedom, then recounted the stories of its clashes with press prosecutors in its own pages. Coverage mellowed as politicians more in tune with the editor’s views came into power. At one point, the newspaper even defended the government’s decision to close another newspaper and send a colleague into exile.
- La Linterna
- EL Mascara
- El Mentor Mexicano
- El Mexicano
- 1824 (Mil ochocientos veiticuatro)
- La Minerva Mexicano
- El Momo
- El Monitor Constitucional
- El Monitor del Pueblo
- El Monitor Republicano
- El Monitorcito
- El Mono
- La Mosquita
- El Mosquito Mexicano
- El Municipal
- El Nacional
- The North American
- El Noticioso
- El Obrero
- El Observador de la Republica Mexicana
- La Orquesta
- El Padre Cobos
- El Pajaro Verde
- La Pata de Cabra
- La Patria Ilustrada
- El Pensador Mexicano
- Pensamiento Extraordinario
- Periodico Oficial del Imperio Mexicano
(1863) Published in Spanish and French, this thrice-weekly newspaper was created by the French invasion force to inform Mexicans of all the new decrees and laws the occupation government issued. It also provided detailed accounts of government office budgets, including salaries. The newspaper also chronicles events leading up to Maximilian’s arrival in Mexico. Spanish and French versions are identical.
- Periodico Oficial del Supremo Gobierno de los Estados-Unidos Mexicanos
- La Politica
- El Redactor Mexicano
- El Redactor Municipal
- Registro Oficial
- Repertorio Mexicano
- Revista Universal
- La Satira
- Semanario Economico de Mexico
- Seminario Politico y Literario de Mejico
- El Siglo Diez y Nueve
- El Sol
(1823- 1835) Published as a semi-weekly in the first two years after independence, El Sol became a daily newspaper on June 18, 1823, the issue that initiates the Yale holdings of the publication. While editors of the four-page broadsheet refer to themselves as liberals, they were Scottish rite masons and not libertarians. They repeatedly called for government controls to maintain order and supported a strong central government. Minutes of federal and local congresses, government decrees, regulations, and treaties dominate coverage. Proceedings of the Constitutional Congress (including a foiled coup), detailed coverage of Mexico’s first treaty negotiations with Spain (an implicit recognition of Mexican independence), debate over the treatment of foreigners in the new nation, concerns about settling Texas and California, and development of a mining law and British loans are of particular interest in early issues as are warnings about the ambitions of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The newspaper is an especially rich source of context for the issues facing the new republic because of extensive contributions from readers, writing similar to today’s Op-Ed page. El Sol is particularly helpful when read in conjunction with its federalist rival, the Aguila Mexicana, because writers in the two newspapers refer to each other’s work. Foreign coverage taken from newspapers that arrived by ship often indicates the issues foremost in Mexicans’ concerns: Spain’s war with France, Colombia’s Constitutional Congress, and the liberation of Peru. The back page of each edition includes police reports and classified advertisements that provide insight into the daily life of post-independence Mexico.
- Sombra de Moctheuzoma Xocoyotzin
- El Telegrafo
(1833- 1835) Published by the same printer that previously published the Aguila Mexicana, El Telegrafo is a more staid broadsheet, as befits the official newspaper of the Mexican government. The issues become most interesting after April 1834 when the official section, detailed minutes of congressional debates and publications of decrees, is supplemented by an unofficial section that begins modestly and gradually expands to fill about half the four-page newspaper. The unofficial section includes correspondence from the provinces and comments on daily life in the capital. Of particular interest are stories about the anti-clerical laws as the foundation for a brewing conflict that led to the Cristero revolt nearly a century later. Classified advertisements also provide insight into daily life during the period.
- Telegrafo Americano
- Telegrafo Federal
- El Tiempo, 1834
- El Tiempo, 1846
- Tio Nonilla
- La Verdad Amarga, Pero es Preciso Decirla
- El Violin
- El Voto Nacional
- La Voz de la Nacion
- Voz de la Patria
- La Voz de la Religion
- Voz de Pueblo
(1845) This newspaper, published every two days, contains letters to the editor on political situation in Mexico on eve of war with the United States, reports on the “Anglo-American” invasion of Matamoros and Mexican soldiers leaving for the campaign in Texas. It provides insights into how the conflicts with native peoples played into the mounting hostilities between the two nations, with accusations that Anglo-Americans are arming Commanches to attack Mexico, references to the Indian situation and possible treatment. It also illuminates the misgivings in Mexico about the coming war, accusing generals of making excuses for not launching campaign against Texas and indications of an agreement between U.S. and Mexico that would have avoided war. Among the most conservative voices in the Mexican press of the era, its columns called for a re-examination of federalism and attempts to revive centralist 1824 constitution.
- Boletin Oficial
- Organo Oficial de Nuevo Leon
- Seminario Politico del Gobierno de Nuevo Leon
- El Astro Moreliano
(1829-1830) Declaring itself a source of illustration and a forum of discussion for the people of the state of Michoacan, this semi-weekly newspaper summarizes the debates of the state legislature and national news affecting the state. Discussions demonstrate the limitations and varying understandings of what a federal form of government meant in the early days of the republic, especially in regulating commerce and travel and in oversight of local elections. It was published on the state press, but appears to be private undertaking.
Oaxaca
Parral
Puebla
Puerto de La Paz (Baja California)
Queretaro
- Diablo Verde
- Federalista
(1849) With the motto “Federation and Order,” this weekly published state decrees while keeping readers informed of events across the country as reported in other newspapers. Political and election news fills the columns, along with exhortations to vote. The newspaper also published the work of local poets.
Saltillo
San Cristoval
San Luis Potosi
Santa Anna
Sinaloa
Tampico
Toluca
Tula
Veracruz
- American Eagle
- Diario Mercantil de Veracruz
- El Ferrocarril
- El Genio de la Libertad
- El Locomotor
- El Mercurio
(1827) Its location in Mexico’s most important Caribbean part assured that El Mercurio was always the first to receive news from abroad and that its summaries of foreign news were widely quoted in newspapers throughout the country. Only three editions of this important newspaper exist in the Yale collection. However, they provide important information about this significant voice in the press of the early Mexican republic. El Mercurio used many more graphics than other newspapers of its era and placed weather and business news on the front page at a time when most newspapers put political news first. Detailed cargo summaries provide an excellent source of information about trade. These issues also contain details of a French debate on press law, apparently reflecting Mexico’s concerns about its own press.
- Noticioso Comercial y Cientifico
- El Veracruzano Libre
(1827) An anti-Masonic daily that reflects the growing suspicion of foreign influence in the new republic, the newspaper also utilized its position in the nation’s major port to cover international news, as transmitted by arriving ships carrying foreign newspapers. It also kept careful track of shipping news and local labor news, including disputes at the local theater company that provide insight into daily life in the early republic. Because of its location, the newspaper was able to carefully chronicle the rise of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.
Victoria de Durango
Zacatecas
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