San Fernando Cemetery Number Two covers 92 acres of land on San Antonio’s West Side. Founded in 1921, the cemetery hosts the remains of Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez; my husband’s grandmother and grandfather, Gus and Pauline Cappalletti Richter; and thousands more of San Antonio’s citizens.
The cemetery is filled with vintage tombstones that rival the ones in Paris’ famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, where The Doors’ Jim Morrison is buried. Strolling through San Fernando and reading the tombstones, the link to our city’s history is palpable.
At the end of October/beginning of November, the Aztec tradition of the Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos), which celebrates the lives of departed loved ones, is alive and well in the Alamo City. At this cemetery and others, you will find family members spiffing up the graves of their friends and relatives.
When my father–a World War II vet, husband and father of four–died unexpectedly in 2001, we built a Day of the Dead altar for him. Gathering his favorite things was bittersweet yet therapeutic. I swear I heard him whisper in my ear, “Don’t forget my crossword puzzles.”
True to our Mexican roots, San Antonio is crawling with Dia de los Muertos’ events for you to enjoy this Nov. 1 and 2:
- SAY Sí’s 8th Annual Muertitos Fest
- The Esperanza Center’s Día de los Muertos Celebration
- Market Square’s Día de los Muertos Celebration
- La Villita’s Día de los Muertos Celebration
- The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s Día de los Muertos Celebration
San Fernando Cemetery Number Two is located at 746 Castroville Road. Its hours are 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. On Nov. 2, the cemetery will have a Mass at 11 a.m. in Block 29.
If you would like to stop and pick up some flowers before you go, visit the filled-to-the-ceiling 150 Gifts and Flower Shop at 334 Castroville Road. They are open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!