Low & Slow: Lowrider Culture On The Border
Low & Slow: Lowrider Culture On The Border
In El Paso, Texas or Chuco, Tejas, the Lowrider is more than a weekend hobby. Lowriding is a way of life. It is not subculture to the Mexican American experience but part of a complex form of lived history and visual culture. It is a unique iteration of a deeply rooted tradition in auto-mobility. In El Paso, the lowrider could trace its earliest roots to the 1940s, most notably after the Second World War. Arguably, the trend originated in California and made its way to Texas. With the resurgence of full-scale car production after the war, affordable vehicles allowed the working class to access their own ranflas. By the 1970’s, lowriding was a well-known past time representative of a unique brand of “Americanness.” Lowriders were also part of a larger expression that included pachucos/pachucas with their zoot suit styling and cruising. This included an affinity for listening to “oldies.’’ The lowrider lifestyle with all its panache and florid expression is also a form of self-determination in the American visual landscape: a belief that Mexican-Americans resist mainstream aesthetics in favor of their own canon. In other words, to ride on one’s own terms, low & slow with ‘stilo. Low and Slow: Lowrider Culture on the Border has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Report this entry
More from the same community-collection
Article about El Paso Pop Festival, 1969 part 2
A July 11, 1969 The Prospector clipping about the success of El ...
Bobby Fuller Four Newspaper Clipping, 1966
A 1966 newspaper clipping spotlighting the Bobby Fuller Four.
The New Fawn Club Dance Article Clipping, 1952
A January 26, 1952 El Paso Times article clipping advertising a ...
"I Love You Gorgo" Album Announcement, 1970
An April 19, 1970 El Paso Times article clipping announcing the ...
Article Announcing Album Release of The Embers Band, 1965
A May 8, 1965 El Paso Times article announcing the wide release ...
Local Band "The Henchmen" Article Clipping, 1966
A December 3, 1966 El Paso Times article detailing an interview ...
Tea Dance at the Music Inn Advertisement, 1956
A May 26, 1956 El Paso Times advertisement for a Tea Dance at ...
Chuck Berry Live at Latin Quarter, 1957
A June 21, 1957 El Paso Times advertisement for a dance at the ...
The Interpreter, Vol. 20, 1964 pgs. 2, 5
The September, 1964 issue of The Interpreter, a regional ...
The Interpreter, Vol. 20, 1964 pgs. 6, 3
The September, 1964 issue of The Interpreter, a regional ...
The Interpreter, Vol. 20, 1964 pgs. 4, 7
The September, 1964 issue of The Interpreter, a regional ...
"Beauticians to Present Debutantes" El Paso Times Article, 1968
A November 17, 1968 El Paso Times page featuring an article on ...
Citywide Beauticians Club "Debutantes of 1968-1969" Program Cover
The front cover of the Citywide Beauticians Club's "Debutantes ...
Citywide Beauticians Club "Debutantes of 1968-1969" Program
Page 1 of the Citywide Beauticians Club's "Debutantes of ...
Citywide Beauticians Club "Debutantes of 1968-1969" Program
Pages 2 and 3 of the Citywide Beauticians Club's "Debutantes of ...
Citywide Beauticians Club "Debutantes of 1968-1969" Program
Pages 4 and 5 of the Citywide Beauticians Club's "Debutantes of ...
Citywide Beauticians Club "Debutantes of 1968-1969" Program
Pages 6 and 7 of the Citywide Beauticians Club's "Debutantes of ...