Lowriders: for Carlos de Baca

hey vato! hey, tu vato! there's a place where the greens are deep emerald, like ancient mayan jungles, steaming after warm indian rains. there's a place where the blues are crisp and clear, like deep blue oaxaca summer skies, there's a place where the blacks penetrate like black night jaguars, silently stalking trembling prey, there's a place where the crimson reds gush hot eye lava warming works of the best Chicano art, works of the best Chicano artists, moving through heaving city night.

you wanta see the works? you wanta see the works of El Maestro, or Senor Cordero, Or Fat Rat, or El Jefe? you wanta see art from Los Cuatro, like Gibert Lujan, aka Magu? you wanta be in awe of Chicanosaurus? Victor Ochoa in the Chicano Thesaurus. you wanta see the work of Chico Gonzalez, or Adrian Hernandez, or Jesse Valadez, or Rigo Reyes? aguas esse, it's gonna be beautiful! you wanta see some fine mohair upholstery backing up some fine wood grain instrument panels fronting some fine velour swivel seats? don't forget the fine wrinkle pleats, the diamond tucks, button tufts looking real o.g. (original gangster) fine.....

i'm talking Lowriders, i'm talking tuck and roll interior, chrome trim under hood with in line 6 for that perfect muffler sound, that deep bass vrooooommmmmm purr, purr some more with your bad aftermarket hubs you used to pry off and put in the trunk when you got to the dance, and then after you were loading your chica bonita in your flame painted la bomba you'd put those bad ass chrome boy hubs right back on.

Lowriders esse...I'm talking Lowriders. bajito Y suavecito, Gitana Rosa, ‘64. La Cucaracha, ‘29.Mr. Rabbit & Twilight Zone 1962. Afterlife‘93. El Gallo de Sinaloa 1966, Zapatista 58, El Chicano ‘38. Chico's 63. Lowriders, not sand bagged, or cement blocked, or red hot springed,  or cut springed, but slammed to the floor, elevator hydrolicked, fat man chrome-plated, chain linked, '38 to '64, la bomba or traditional....

Lowriders, the symbol of ethnic pride statement, the symbol of resistance to assimilation, the symbol of Mexicano familias, the symbol of Mexicano communidad, the symbol of fiestas feliz, the symbol of life-giving fundraisers, the symbol of laugh at high society calaveras, high society ain't saints esse. los ricos pierce the red brown hand with the spike that gushes Otomi Indian Blood into the tin funnel funneling crimson waterfall into bottle of no cork, no ferment chemical cut-the-aftertaste-with-a-shot-of-agua street wine, pachucos martyrs forced to drink to kill the pain after sword fell severing hands and heels, and hearts.

nasty NAFTA greedy green, bloody red, jobless hungry brown town, cut all the green trees down, and aren't those tiny slave children working NAFTA slave fields? and aren't those tired slave women working for 10 peso days? neoliberal speculation cutting Mexicanos to the quick, to the wallet, to the heart, NAFTA pintarrajo Mexicanos son muy sufridos, not like lowrider painters painting for the people, like David Avalos painted, like Atzlan Rifa, Like Lord Enchilada, like Colassus and the Bomba, Jose Eagle

Painted reminding us to live las vida loca. Lowriders, where the Amigos or the Groupe cool Lowrider family clubs, flash shiny continental kits, fender skirts, fake bullet spot lights, in lowered stances with great "ghost" flames, pinstriping or roses, 150 hand painted roses, or a dead black chopped lead sled screaming Chicano Pride! Chicano Power! Chicano People.

hey, vato. Lowriders. assertive, clean, sharp dressers, highly visible defiers of marginalization, rebelling against segregation. Lowriders, contra racismo. Lowriders, Viva Mexicanos! Viva Chicanos! Viva Latinos! muchos nombres, Una Raza. hey vato! tu vato. Lowriders. bajito y suavecito. low and slow. like the sleepy sun rising on bright colored tropical birds in steamy, ancient mayan jungles, after warm Indian rains have washed the blood land clean.