San Antonio Family Preserves Time-Honored Tamalada Tradition

In Boerne, Texas, the Solar family continues the cherished tradition of the tamalada, even after the passing of their mother. While grocery stores in San Antonio stock up on tamales during the Christmas season, some families prefer the homemade version made during a traditional tamalada.

Armando Solar, one of the family members, mentioned that they are expecting over 20 people to attend their annual tamalada. Armando, who moved to Houston in 1988, has always made it a point to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with his brother Carlos, rather than in Houston. He emphasized that these holidays are now all about family for him.

Growing up on the west side of San Antonio, Armando, Carlos, and their sister were raised by their mother, Maria Luisa Solar, who passed away in 2017. Maria had been hosting tamaladas for over six decades. Since her passing, the family continues the tradition by watching a video of her making tamales during their own yearly tamalada.

Carlos explained that while they try to follow their mother’s methods of cooking, spicing, and assembling the tamales, they also feel comfortable making adjustments. For example, they switched from using pork head to pork shoulder for the meat and have even experimented with ingredients like cream cheese.

This year, the Solar family feels particularly excited as their nieces, Camille and Jillian Poznecki, have joined them from Arizona. Armando mentioned that they will have a great time watching their nieces learn the process of making tamales with laughter and enjoyment.

Although Camille and Jillian have not attended many tamaladas, they still consider it a family tradition that makes them feel at home whenever they visit. Jillian even shared a funny memory from a previous tamalada, recalling when she had to kiss a pig’s head to exit a room.

Ultimately, Carlos expressed that the stories shared during these gatherings are more valuable to them than the food itself. He hopes that the tamalada tradition will continue for generations to come, as it serves as a wonderful way for the family to stay connected, share experiences, and support each other through both good and bad times.