Can You Visit Selena Quintanilla’s Grave?
This week, twenty-five years after the death of Latin superstar Selena, her presence is felt as strongly in the world of Tejano and pop music as ever, in the music of those influenced by her including Selena Gomez, Camilla Cabello, and others.
Here’s what we know about her final resting place.
The 25th anniversary of her death
The 23-year-old “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” pop star was gunned down by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of the singer’s fan club, who was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder and sent to prison for life.
On the morning of March 31, 1995, Saldívar was able to convince Selena to come to her motel room under the ruse of giving her business papers for tax purposes.
At the room, the “Dreaming of You” star and Saldívar argued loudly, according to motel guests, who complained about noises coming from Saldívar’s room. They said they heard two women arguing about business matters.
Selena was prepared to fire Saldívar and dumped a bag containing bank statements onto the bed and saw Saldívar’s gun, which the older woman grabbed and pointed at the singer.
As Selena tried to run, her fan club president and boutique assistant shot her, hitting an artery. By the time paramedics arrived, she had bled profusely and died at the hospital.
Selena’s search for spirituality
The week after Selena’s death, her father spoke to the Corpus Christi Caller– Times about his daughter’s spirituality and how he himself witnessed her search for meaning in the months leading up to her final days.
“I know, I just know that she has eternal life,” Abraham Quintanilla told the outlet, weeping.
“My daughter is in God’s memory, for the future time when she is resurrected. She didn’t want to say anything that might bring disrepute on the Almighty,” her father added.
“Selena believed that there is a truth,” he said. “She believed there is a true Christianity, and she was searching for that.”
Selena’s father had adopted Jehovah’s Witnesses as his faith many years ago. While he said at the time after her passing that his daughter had been studying the Bible, he added that she knew her stage persona might have had to change if she chose to become a Jehovah’s Witness.
Her uncle, Eddie Quintanilla, an active member of that church, noted in the same interview with the Corpus Christi Caller-Times how important modesty is for the church and that Selena’s stage style “was not very modest. That’s not what Witnesses do.”
Her father added, “Selena believed that there is a truth,” he said. “She believed there is a true Christianity, and she was searching for that.”
How you can visit Selena’s gravesite
While there are celebrities such as John Lennon and John Kennedy, Jr., whose families chose to cremate their remains after their tragic deaths, Selena’s family laid her to rest in a beautiful park in Seaside Memorial Park in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Her headstone is engraved with her image and a black bench next to the grave bears her iconic signature in white.
It is open to the public and has even been reviewed on TripAdvisor. One reviewer commented, “This is a beautiful gravesite and is well-suited to honor the memory of a talented and beautiful person. We were glad we made the decision to visit and pay our respects. When you go, head to the southeast corner of the cemetery and look for the black fenced-in area. There is a nice paved walkway that leads up to her headstone.”
