Cementerio San Jose I y II ~ San Jose Cemetery I and II

April UPDATE: Spring has arrived and that means it is time for the annual Spring clean up at both San Jose Cemeteries. Join us tomorrow (April 18) at 8 am at 716 Montopolis Dr. The weather looks to be amazing with temps in the low 70's. Bring your lawnmowers, chainsaws, and string trimmers (weed-whackers) if you them. If not, no worries. Your help is still needed. Joining us will be the East Austin non-profit, Keep Austin Beautiful. They have participated in past clean ups and have brought a group of volunteers that have signed up via their website - click here . Please refrain from wearing open-toed shoes/sandals. * Long pants are highly recommended. * Gloves will be provided along with some garden tools. You can come and go as needed. Water and fruit will be provided. Depending on turn out, some volunteers may be dispatched to San Jose II cemetery about 2 miles away. Please DM for questions. Want to contribute any resources? Let us know. See you soon.

~ 2nd Annual San Jose Cemetery Community Tamalda ~ The San Jose Montopolis Cemetery Association is pleased to once again host our 2nd annual Community Tamalada for our 2025 Dia de Muertos Celebration, November 1 and 2 at both San Jose cemetery locations (8101 Posten Ln and 718 Montopolis Dr). More information about the cemeteries can be found here . The Tamalada will be held the evening of October 30 at 1200 Montopolis Dr at the Recreation Center. Fund raising will continue until the $200 goal is met. Please consider contributing here . This Go Fund Me helps defray the costs of the ingredients used in making as many black bean and cheese tamales as possible. Last year 27 dozen tamales were made by about 20 community members and given out free to attendees along with Horchata or Agua de Jamaica and Pan de Muerte. A perfect combination. There were no leftovers. We hope you will help provide support for this entirely community-based cultual event. The Tamalada is organ...

~ It is time! ~ ¡Ya es hora! ~ Dia de Muertos is here. Come and join the community. What makes our celebration special? Dia de Muertos at the San Jose cemetery is the only Dia de Muertos celebration that takes place at cemetery for Indigenous / Latino / Mexican-American Austinites. ~ Bring your family, some blankets and cushions and look forward to communing with the spirits of those living and those who have passed on. Bring photos of those you wish to honor and place on the community ofrenda. Please follow our social media accounts for more information and updates. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Llegó el Día de Muertos. Ven y únete a la comunidad. ¿Qué hace especial a nuestra celebración? El Día de Muertos en el cementerio de San José es la única celebración del Día de Muertos que se lleva a cabo en un cementerio para residentes indígenas, latinos y mexicoamericanos de Austin. ~ Trae a tu familia, algunas mantas y cojines, y disfruta de la com...

October 6 UPDATE: The Fall clean-up of the San Jose Cemeteries are scheduled for the weekend of October 18 and 19, from 8 am to 1 pm both days, weather permitting. San Jose I Cemetery - Saturday, October 18, 718 Montopolis Dr San Jose II Cemetery - Sunday, October 19, 8101 Posten Ln. (about 3 miles from San Jose I) Gloves and some yard implements will be provided, but lawnmowers, chainsaws, string trimmers, and lawn-bags are needed. You are welcome to bring your own tools. No open-toed shoes/sandals and long-sleeved shirts are recommended. Please check here for the latest updates. Any questions, please send an email to: info@SanJoseMCA.org Please share this invitation. Your help is very much appreciated - and see you soon!

Community Call! We are entering into the busiest time of the year for the cemetery and the following events are scheduled: 1) Oct 18-19 weekend OR Oct 27-28 weekend - The Fall Clean up (weather dependent) 2) Thursday, Oct 30 - Community Tamalada (Tamale making for Dia de Muertos) - location TBA 3) Saturday, Nov 1* - Day of the Dead at San Jose Cemetery I (716 Montopolis Dr) 4) Sunday, Nov 2* - Day of the Dead at San Jose I Cemetery II (8101 Posten Ln)     (*These dates may be reversed) Help is needed in many different ways from assisting with cemetery clean ups to providing a tamale pot. From setting up a table and candles for the Dia de Muertos candle procession to serving as a cemetery guide. From making flower arrangements to setting up the performance stage to running errands to helping clean up afterward. Please email info@sanjosemca.org or click here and let us know which event(s) are your areas of interest. You can also volunte...

June 2025 UPDATE: Join in for our San Jose Cemetery Spring Clean Ups. June 7 , San Jose Cemetery I - meet at 716-8 Montopolis Drive . June 8 , San Jose Cemetery II - meet at 8101 Posten Ln (at the dead end). . Both clean-up days will begin at 8 am and end at noon. Rakes, wheel barrows and gloves will be provided. After surveying the grounds, we are in need of chainsaws and those who are comfortable using them. We also need lawn mowers, string trimmers (weed whackers), branch clippers and lawn bags. Due to recent weather events, there is one fallen tree that will need to be removed in each cemetery. Focus will be on litter removal, general maintenance, brush removal, and possibly erecting a portion of fencing in both cemeteries. If you know of experienced fence installers, please encourage them to attend. Please dress accordingly. No open-toed shoes or shorts. Long sleeve shirts are recommended . For more information and questions, email: info@sanjoseMCA....

November 1 and 2 - Dia de Muertos / Miccailhuitl: Come and join the community for the annual Dia de Muertos / Miccailhuitl at San Jose I and II cemetery, November 1 and 2. Music Mariachi Tamales and pan de Muerte Agua frescas, and horchata Cemetery procession and more! 2 cemeteries - 2 nights beginning at 6 pm November 1 - San Jose II cemetery, 8101 Posten Ln November 2 - San Jose I cemetery, 718 Montopolis Dr. Bookmark this page and check back for updates. For inquiries, please email: info@sanjosemca.org en español: Ven y únete a la comunidad para el Día de Muertos / Miccailhuitl anual en el cementerio San José I y II, el 1 y 2 de noviembre. Música Mariachi Tamales y pan de muerte Aguas frescas, horchata y chocolate caliente ¡Procesión en el cementerio y más! 2 cementerios - 2 noches a partir de las 6:00 p. m. 1 de noviembre: cementerio San José II, 8101 Posten Ln 2 de noviembre: cementerio San José I, 718 Montopolis Dr. ...

October 30 Community Tamalada! Wednesday October 30, the San Jose Montopolis Cemetery is sponsoring a Community Tamalada at 6 pm hosted by Red Salmon Arts, 2000 Thrasher Ln. 78741 in east Austin. This year we are bringing the community together to make tamales from scratch to be served free at the November 1 and 2 Fandango Dia de Muertos at San Jose I Cemetery (718 Montopolis Dr.) and also San Jose II Cemetery (8101 Posten Ln). A Go-Fund- Me has been created to receive donations for purchasing ingredients to make: Green chile and cheese tamales, and Bean and cheese tamales for about 300 attendees. We will meet at 2000 Thrasher Ln at 6 pm with pots and ingredients. Those with tamale-making experience will be especially welcomed. This event is BYOB if you wish. Email: info@sanjosemca.org to RSVP and donate here . If you are unable to attend, you can still donate. And we thank you. 30 de octubre: Tamalada comunitaria. El miércoles 30 de octubr...

October UPDATE: After a long hot summer that contiues to hang on, we are moving into the season of transition. That means that we are once again turning our attention to preparing both San Jose cemeteries for the season. Clean-ups are scheduled at each location and you are welcome to be involved however you can. Saturday, October 26 from 8 am - 1 pm at San Jose I cemetery - 718 Montopolis Dr. (meet at 703 Small Kemp where there is plenty of parking). Sunday, October 27 from 8am - 1 pm at San Jose II cemetery - 8101 Posten Ln. Después de un verano largo y caluroso que continúa, estamos entrando en la temporada de transición. Eso significa que una vez más estamos centrando nuestra atención en preparar ambos cementerios de San José para la temporada. Se han programado limpiezas en cada ubicación y usted puede participar en todo lo que pueda. Sábado 26 de octubre de 8 a. m. a 1 p. m. en el cementerio San José I, 718 Montopolis Dr. (el punto de encuentro es 703 Smal...

San Jose Spring Clean-up *** WEATHER UPDATE Sunday 4/21/2024 *** After a very wet night, Sunday's SJ II clean-up will be delayed 1 hour. The new start time will be 10 am. Please dress accordingly. The UT spirit group of students will be joining us. See you at 10, or whenever you arrive. **** This year for our 2024 Spring clean-up of the San Jose I Cemetery, we are very pleased to partner with Keep Austin Beautiful, a local Austin non-profit who works in conjunction with Give Pulse, a civic network matching people in our community with causes they care about while enabling easy organization, management and mobilization of volunteers and supporters. And of course, we have our community of participants of previous clean-ups coming together also. In addition, we are happy to have the UT spirit group Texas Infinities join us for a Sunday cemetery clean-up at San Jose II Cemetery (8101 Posten Ln) on April 21 beginning at 9 am. Everyone is invited to part...

Spring 2024 UPDATE: Recently, the San Jose I cemetery on Montopolis Dr. has been receiving an increase in attention, much of it because of social media. The spectacular Texas bluebonnets currently on display in the cemetery has brought out photographers, both professional and amateur. The San Jose Montopolis Cemetery Association welcomes this seasonal attention. However we need to underscore the significance of the fragility of the cemetery - which is over 100 years old. Open community access to the cemetery is very important, essential and no one wishes to restrict anyone from visiting. However, it is also incredibly vulnerable to disruption, damage and desecration, both from casual visitors, as well as the neighborhood itself. The care takers of the cemetery, the San Jose MCA is in the process of re-establishing areas in the cemetery where either fencing has been trampled on, removed or cut back in order to serve as a neighborhood shortcut for bikes, scooters and pedestri...

San Jose Cemetery clean up Sunday UPDATE: Day 2 of the San Jose cemetery Sunday clean-up is still scheduled. Meet at 8101 Posten Lane at 9 am Weather: The forcast indicates that a cold front will arrive the Austin area between 11 and 1 pm. Temperatures and humidity will drop. There is a chance for scattered showers as the front approaches. But if it presents an issue, we will stop early. The UT community service group Texas Infinities will be joining us. This makes their second year and we are looking forward to having them working with us again. For the community, we continue to need chainsaws, 'weed-eaters' and a couple of lawnmowers. We have some yard implements, trash bags and a lot of gloves. You are welcome to bring your own tools, but please mark them for identification. Tasks will focus on clearing established pathways, removing of branches/limbs, and some trash and recyclables (bottles/aluminum cans). Branch trimming will happen where needed, raking, a...

March 2023 Update: The first San Jose I Cemetery Spring clean-up of the New Year (weather permitting) happens Saturday March 18. Please meet at the end of Short Kemp St. off of Ponca Street. Due to the recent winter ice storm, work at the cemetery is more pressing than usual. Fortunately, damage to grave markers are minimal, but there are a lot of fallen branches that need to be removed. There are less physical tasks that can also be performed. Come join our efforts beginning at 8 am. Work will contine until 1 pm. Yard implements, wheelbarrows, chain saws and string trimmers (weed whackers) are needed. Gloves, courtesy of #HomeDepot and some yard implements will be provided. Depending on attendance, a small group might be dispatched to San Jose II Cemetery about 3 miles away. Breakfast tacos will be provided. Spread the news and see you March 18. Any question, please respond via email or any of our social media accounts: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/grou...

Day of the Dead 2022 Fandango de los Muertos 2022 Celebración de día de muertos en el Cementerio San José I y II con música en vivo y decoración de tumbas Day of the Dead celebration at the San José I and II Cemetery with live music and tomb decoration. Two nights - November 1 - 2 - RSVP not required, but requested. First Night - November 1 718 Montopolis Drive, Austin, TX 78741 Cementerio San José I ProyectoTEATRO, in collaboration with UT and the XVI International Convening of Mexican Historians, kick off the first night of the "6th Fandango of the Dead" with an intimate and philosophical event in the penumbra of the San José I Cemetery. Activities include an cultural panel talk with mezcal, the US premiere of a gorgeous Mexican docu-film, artistic performances, and the decorating and lighting of the cementerio San José I. Night 1 Schedule 𝟳:𝟭𝟱𝗣𝗠 - Ofrendas artísticas [Artistic offerings] • Danza Azteca // Indigenous Dance • Música de Cámara ...

October 27, 2022 UPDATE: In preparation for Day of the Dead, the third clean-up of the San Jose Cemeteries will happen this Saturday (October 29th). Weather is forcasted to be fantastic. We will be joined by Texas Infinities, a UT volunteer spirit community service group as well as members of the Austin Brown Berets. Please meet at 8 am at 8101 Posten Lane . Should GPS fail, go to where East Riverside crosses Hwy 71/East Ben White. Take the portion of East Riverside on the south side of Hwy 71. Within a short distance, it curves to left. Take the first right @Hoeke Ln. Soon a small house with a carport on the left will be visible and just on the other side is Posten Ln. Take that first left and follow to the end. Park near the blue building. Once we get an idea on our numbers, we will split into teams and receive assigned tasks. Please keep in mind that there is no available electricity, so gas and battery powered tools/equipment will needed (chainsaws and s...

August UPDATE: A Fall clean-up of San Jose II Cemetery (formerly the Montopolis Cemetery) will be scheduled soon . After a brutal summer, when not much of any physical work can be done, fall is fast approaching and it’s time to renew efforts of focusing attention on our beloved Cemeterio San Jose (SJ I) on Montopolis Dr and San Jose II off of Hoeke Lane. While general maintenance is needed at SJ I, like mowing and removal of tree limbs on the north-east property line, San Jose II continues to be in most need of attention. Stay tuned for an announcement about when the next SJ II clean-up will be scheduled, as well as an update on future plans for the cemetery. The fall clean-up will most likely take place during the first half of October. Also in the works is the question of Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) festivities for this year. Currently under way are talks and discussing logistics with adjacent property owners and East Austin's arts organization, ProyectoTEATRO. Unl...

Announcing the Spring San Jose II Cemetery Clean-up April 23 (Saturday) 9 am to 1 pm The San Jose Montopolis Cemetery Association announces a San Jose II Cemetery clean up for Saturday April 23 from 9 am to 1pm. The cemetery is located between Posten Road and Ella Lane at 2512 Hoeke Lane (just south of the East Riverside and Highway 71 intersection) in southeast Austin. This clean up will focus on: 1) removal of glass bottles and litter 2) removal of tires 3) completing a walkable path from the entrance to Posten Road 4) the spreading of mulch along the pathway to the South east corner. We could use a couple of mowers, string trimmers (weed-wackers) and shovels. A working chainsaw would also be useful. We have plenty of garbage bags, gloves and various yard implements. You are welcome to bring your own. Please wear long sleeved shirts and long pants and no open shoes/sandals. Juice, (maybe) coffee, bagels and cinnamon rolls will be available. We will have...

March 14 UPDATE: A Spring clean-up of San Jose II Cemetery (formerly the Montopolis Cemetery) is scheduled for Saturday April 23 - beginning at 9 AM (weather permitting). We are meeting at 2512 Hoeke Lane . You will be directed into the parking area. Everyone should sign in on-site. Please spread the news and bring others with you. Before any work begins, there will be a short introductory talk. We will break off into teams. Please note that there is thorny greenbriar, so leather gloves are recommended. If you bring tools, please label them with your name and phone number. Please protect yourself with appropriate clothing and gloves. The area has poison oak. Fortunately the new spring plant growth will just be beginning. Please do not wear sandals - and long sleeve shirts are advised. There is no electricity. Access to a restroom with running water is being arranged. A major focus is the removal of trash and especially tires. A pathway for vehicles from the orgin...

UPDATE: The first-ever meeting of the San Jose Montopolis Cemetery Association will meet THIS Saturday March 12. The basic agenda items to be discussed will be procedural issues, reviewing priorities and orienting ourselves to address the responsibilities we have undertaken. Because of the need to organize the internal affairs of the board first, we will open future meetings up to the community. Stay tuned for the invitation and we hope you will join us then.

February Update There are several plans on the horizon for SJI & II. First and foremost is news of the creation of an association for both San Jose cemeteries. As mentioned in the last post, the association (made up of four decedents of ancestors buried at San Jose I and II), will advocate for and organize the maintenance of these two cemeteries, as well as serve as the community voice for the resting place of our ancestors. From now through spring, here is a developing list of goals: 1) Organize and prepare for the second clean-up of SJ II. This could also include the erection of a fence along the south-eastern side of the cemetery to stop persistent trespassing. 2) Hold the first JSMCA board meeting and establish by-laws 3) Complete phase one of the documentation of funeral home records for both cemeteries 4) Complete the collection of known SJ I and II death certificates 5) Attempt to contact as many family members as possible who have ancestral ties to both cemeteries...