Under the hood of Greeley’s lowrider scene

Lowriders are classic cars whose chassis are modified to lower the vehicle. Drivers often outfit the cars with elaborate paint jobs and hydraulics. Lowrider culture took off in Los Angeles in the 1940s. 

Many veterans returned home from World War II with money to purchase cars and the mechanical knowledge needed to repair them. Unlike hot-rodders who began to outfit classic cars, like Ford Model T’s, with larger engines primed for speed, Mexican-Americans often opted for conversions that made their cars lower and slower. 

In 1950, there were 25 million cars on the road in the U.S. By the end of the decade, that number jumped to 67 million. As cars gained popularity, so too did a culture of modification. 

“We always wanted our own style,” said Paul Lucero, Elijah Lucero’s father who was involved in Greeley’s lowrider scene in the 1980s. Today he drives a 1979 Cadillac the color of crushed lavender. 

Jonathan Alcántar, associate professor of chicana/o and latinx studies at University of Northern Colorado, said that in many ways, lowrider culture is a “reflection of the experience of Mexican-Americans in this country.” 

Many Mexican-Americans who served in World War II returned home only to be treated as second-class citizens, said Alcántar. Many businesses in the region hung signs that read, “no dogs or Mexicans allowed.” 

Lowriding “became a way of creating a space and a sense of belonging,” said Alcántar. 

“We refused to be told we don't belong there. We belong there because we're human beings,” said Alcántar. 

By the 1980s and 1990s, lowriders became associated with gangs, something Alcántar attributes to the way Hollywood portrayed lowriders in movies and music videos. 

Cities responded by criminalizing cruising, the practice of driving slowly through towns. Today, cruising remains illegal in downtown Longmont. Westminster also has an ordinance to prevent cruising at night. 

“We fight every day to break that stigma,” said Yesenia Lucero.