The centuries-old tradition of the Day of the Dead lives on in Rick Flores’ extended familia and other households of Mexican descent in the San Fernando Valley. Typically, families create altars at home to honor and welcome the souls of their loved ones during the Mexican holiday in early November. However, Flores, 42, and friends have added a modern twist to the tradition by setting up altars in classic cars.
A Life Tribute
“It’s a celebration of life,” said Flores, standing beside his yellow truck, a 1954 Ford F-100, which was parked alongside seven other classic cars from the local group Records and Rides at Recreation Park this past Saturday for the City of San Fernando’s third annual Día de los Muertos Festival.
An altar was set up in the truck’s bed, adorned with calaveras, vibrant orange marigolds, and numerous photographs of deceased relatives, including parents, uncles and family friends. Prominently displayed on top of the altar was a picture of a smiling woman in her 30s, with long black hair and black-rimmed glasses. “That is my sister, Jessica,” Flores explained. “She passed away during COVID.”
Flores was motivated to reconnect with the Day of the Dead tradition by the loss of his sister during the pandemic, as well as by previous family deaths, including that of his grandmother. Although he was aware of the holiday before his sister’s death, he admits he “didn’t really follow it.”
“It just started to make sense to build an ofrenda at the house to honor our deceased relatives and later bring out the cars,” Flores said.
A Three-Year Local Trend
For the past three years, Records and Rides has showcased altars in vintage vehicles at the city’s festival. This year, four of the vehicles displayed by the group belonged to Flores and his relatives – a sister, a cousin and an uncle – including a 1939 Chevy Panel Truck and a 1985 Chevy El Camino.
“Cars to us, our family, are a cultural thing,” said Joanna Hernandez, 34, and Flores’s cousin, adding that her parents grew up riding around town in the City of San Fernando in “oldies, like we do now.” The cargo area of her 1954 Chevy Station Wagon displayed an altar with half a dozen photos, including pictures of her father, Joe Hernandez, and her grandfather’s cousin, Pete Flores. A sepia-toned photograph was of a soldier. “I have my grandpa here, when he was stationed at Pearl Harbor in World War II,” Hernandez said.
She points to a framed color sketch of her grandmother, Jessie Lopez. “This was created by my late cousin Jessica, who was a beautiful and talented artist,” Joanna Hernandez explained. She then turned to a photo of Jessica. “That’s her; she passed away very young and unexpectedly. I think I’m going to cry because I miss her so much.”
Food Offerings
Some of the photos had food items placed next to them: peanuts for grandpa and Mexican buñuelos, a type of fritter, for Jessica. “She loved buñuelos,” Hernandez said. It is customary for some offerings to include foods, drinks, and other favorite items that the deceased enjoyed in life.
Hernandez attended the festival with her boyfriend, Adam Cordova, 40, and their two children, Abel and Adam, ages 2 and 6, respectively.
Like Flores, Cordova said he started celebrating Dia de los Muertos later in life. “Just in the last 10 years,” he said, adding that it happened after some loved ones died. “It was then that I understood the tradition and started honoring them.”
Keeping a Tradition
For Cordova, preserving the Mexican holiday is essential for remembering loved ones who have passed away. “It’s important to keep it,” he said. “We’re all busy and live hectic lives with jobs, families, and other commitments. But it’s nice to take a little time out to reflect on those who are no longer here and dedicate at least a day to them.”
The altar displayed in a 1954 Chevy Station Wagon featured photographs of Cordova’s family members, including one of his grandparents on their wedding day, his aunt Betty, who passed away last year, and his friend Jason Reeves, who died in a motorcycle accident several years ago.
Cordova’s and Joanna Hernandez’s commitment to Day of the Dead on wheels has encouraged one of their children also to embrace the tradition. Six-year-old Adam created a mini-altar in the rear basket of his tricycle and displayed it at the festival on Saturday. His ofrenda featured marigolds, candles, and a cross adorned with floral motifs, with the Virgin of Guadalupe depicted in the center. His inspiration? “My parents’ car,” he said.
“I saw our family’s car and asked my mom and dad if I could do something like that,” the boy recalled. He added that their answer made him feel like they were reading each other’s minds. “Oh, that’s exactly what we were thinking,” he remembered them saying.
In addition to showcasing their altars in classic cars at the Recreation Park festival, Adam’s family participates in other events celebrating the Mexican holiday in the Northeast Valley. “We go to church to honor our deceased loved ones and visit the cemetery,” said Cordova. “My son attends St. Didacus Catholic School in Sylmar, where they also hold a small celebration, so we make sure to go there as well.”
Flores and his extended family of 12 posed proudly next to their classic car altar in a 1954 Chevy Station Wagon before the festival ended. He expressed his pride in Records and Rides’ classic car offerings, stating, “People love our altars, and we loved being out here, too.”