Ignacio E. Lozano: The Mexican Exile Publisher Who Conquered San Antonio and Los Angeles

Abstract

In the first quarter of this century, three Southwestern U.S. cities made up the Mexican American heartland—San Antonio, Los Angeles, and El Paso. All three had large Mexican and Mexican-American populations. Small Spanish-language newspapers rose and fell quickly in these cities, as Mexican intellectuals and political elites sought to express their disenchantment with various factions of their homeland. Those publications were, from many accounts, run much as “pamphlets,” rather than as business concerns. Enter Ignacio E. Lozano, who arrived virtually penniless in San Antonio in 1908. Within two decades, he had established a successful newspaper in the competitive San Antonio market and began a second one in Los Angeles. This article examines the role of Lozano's newspapers and includes criticisms leveled at the elitist content of both. It offers an explanation of why La Prensa and La Opinión succeeded where others failed. And, finally, it provides insights into Lozano's character and his attitudes toward acculturation.