Aurora leaves Monterrey, Mexico, and starts a new life in Santa Fe, NM with her daughters Carmen, Rosario and her Husband Jose Lujan.

Aurora and Jose opened the doors to El Merendero Cafe on Galisteo Street. The small
cafe quickly became known for its authentic flavors and the warmth of its owners.

Aurora’s daughter, Carmen, along with her husband, Antonio, recognized the potential in the family recipe. In 1978, they purchased the rights to the original tamale recipe and continued the family tradition on Santa Fe Avenue. The new business from then on is known as El Merendero (Posa’s).

The demand for their tamales grew, leading to the opening of their first tamale production
factory at 1248 Siler Road in 1979.

In 1993, Jeffrey, Carmen and Antonio’s oldest son, opened a new branch of the business
on Alameda Street, where they introduced new menu items alongside their famous tamales.
Handheld burritos and the breakfast burrito are a big hit with people on the go for lunch.

The following year, Carmen and Antonio expanded their business further, opening another location on Cerrillos Road.

Jeffrey opens another location at 3538 Zafarano Dr in a new strip mall in town, next to the
Hollywood Video and Albertson’s.

The (Posa’s) location on Alameda moves to a larger space in the Solana Shopping Center
and is open as a full-service restaurant for two years.

In 2003, the main production of tamales was moved to a new larger facility at 1514 Rodeo Road in addition to a counter service dining area. The Siler Rd location was closed. Carmen and Antonio begin to enjoy a more retired life stepping away from daily operations and allowing Jeffrey and Johanna to manage the business.

(Posa’s) opens two convenient store locations, (Posa’s) Express, in Española, NM. The community is an avid supporter of the Express stores until 2011, when the owners of the buildings decided to sell.

The Posa Family sells the Zafarano location to Mark Vitagliano and he owns and operates
this space until he retires in 2024.

Amid the global COVID-19 crisis, (Posa’s) navigates new ways of doing business and
during the 2020 Christmas we have record sales and continue to be an integral part of the Santa
Fe community.

John Quiñones from GOOD MORNING AMERICA visits us to recognize our traditional food from Santa Fe in their Rise & Shine segment.

The heartbreaking loss of Antonio and Carmen Posa. ANTONIO passed on January 11, 2022 from complications of dementia and a broken hip. CARMEN passed away from a broken heart one week after Antonio’s funeral on January 27,2022. It was Carmen’s birthday and she passed peacefully in her sleep to join her husband of almost 60 years.
Their children Jeffrey, Johanna, Antonio Jr, and Javier maintain ownership of the family
restaurant.

(Posa’s) Express opens in a convenient store location at the Tewa Gas Station at Totavi
near Whiterock, NM.

Today, Jeffrey and Johanna continue to oversee the daily operations, ensuring that the
tamale tradition remains strong and that Aurora’s legacy continues.