{"id":126683,"date":"2026-04-28T15:44:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/lowrider-culture-takes-center-stage-at-gateway-park-in-farmington\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T12:35:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T18:35:38","slug":"lowrider-culture-takes-center-stage-at-gateway-park-in-farmington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/lowrider-culture-takes-center-stage-at-gateway-park-in-farmington\/","title":{"rendered":"Lowrider culture takes center stage at Gateway Park in Farmington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Inside
Inside the Farnington Museum and Visitor Center, Timothy Gurule provided a rundown of the fully customized \u201cGolden Ram,\u201d a 1995 Dodge Ram 1500. David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Inside
Inside the Farnington Museum and Visitor Center, a spectacular lowrider was on exhibit. David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Thousands poured into midtown Farmington Saturday as chrome gleamed, engines hummed and woofers bumped in a gathering that blended artistry, community pride and the pulse of New Mexico\u2019s lowrider cruising tradition.<\/p>\n

Organized by a volunteer committee led by Dion Montoya and sparked by the vision of Cultural Affairs Assistant Director Christa Chapman, the event drew more than 5,000 visitors to view the crafted lowriders, enjoy live music and Fiesta dancers and hear an uplifting message from U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-Santa Fe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were able to build a committee in order to bring all of the events today,\u201d Montoya said. Committee members include Monicalynn Begay, Felicia Begay, Drew Ericson, Karla Wheeler, Michelle Zupan, Montoya, Chapman and Nathan Augustine, director of the Farmington Museum and Visitors Center.<\/p>\n

Montoya arrived around 8 a.m. to set up the sound system for the noon kickoff and said he cranked up the music early to set the vibe.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic heals the soul. Music will take you to the next level,\u201d Montoya said. \u201cIf you\u2019re feeling down, music will bring you out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Don
Don Montoya, a key event organizer, served as the DJ. David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Marisol Medina of Chimayo took the stage about 1:20 p.m., singing a variety of styles including Spanish, Christian, country and disco.<\/p>\n

Medina had a top-five hit on KNMX radio this month with \u201cLinda Chicana,\u201d recorded with Pepe G. The duo was nominated for vocal duo of the year at the New Mexico Hispano Awards announced in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event is very, very beautiful,\u201d Medina said. \u201cThis is my first time coming to Farmington, and man, this community is just beautiful \u2026 everybody\u2019s so respectful and nice here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Marisol
Marisol Medina of Chimayo entertained the crowd at the Lowrider Culture Car Show Saturday. David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Montoya said he was inspired by the turnout, which showed people could come together in peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarmington is alive. Farmington is beautiful and celebrating it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The lowriders, spectators<\/div>\n

As crowds moved through the park and museum, spectators and car owners alike shared stories, admiration and pride in the vehicles and culture on display.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great for Farmington. I think we need more of it,\u201d said attendee Jy Jasmine. \u201cIt\u2019s fantastic, see the turnout is perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, it\u2019s awesome, yeah, and the biggest we\u2019ve had in Farmington,\u201d said Gerry Stuckum.<\/p>\n

Timothy Gurule of Aztec has been involved in lowriders for about 40 years. His 1994 Lincoln Town Car, powered by a stock 4.6-liter engine, features a custom paint job he completed himself and specialized hydraulics that move up and down and side to side, lifting the front off the ground and posing the car on three wheels.<\/p>\n

A member of Dreamz Car Club, Gurule has attended hundreds of car shows over the years, including the One Crazy Weekend lowrider show in Las Vegas, Nevada, which he described as the Holy Grail of car shows.<\/p>\n

Local lowrider car clubs include Dreamz, Goodtimes and LowClassics.<\/p>\n

\"Timothy
Timothy Gurule (left) with son Damian. David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Moses Ruiz of Bloomfield owns a 2013 Hyundai with a stock engine enhanced by a spoiler and custom wheels. The trunk houses an elaborate sound system with a 215 Redline Series Digital Designs amplifier, 15-inch woofers, an M-4000 Pioneer amplifier and 21 capacitors.<\/p>\n

Jeremy Vigil of Farmington and a member of LowClassics Car Club, said the turnout was amazing. His lowrider, \u201cSenor Atros,\u201d which in slang means \u201cBad Boy,\u201d is a 1947 Oldsmobile Series 78 Deluxe with extensive modifications.<\/p>\n

Vigil bought the car about five years ago. It has undergone a full restoration and has been featured in Lowrider magazine, earning Best of Show and first place honors in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\"Jeremy
Jeremy Vigil stands left of his lowrider, \u201cSenor Atros.\u201d David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The car is powered by a Chevy 350 engine with a Turbo-Hydramatic transmission, a 1996 Caprice rear end and a full air-ride system. It features an iPad displaying the build process, a stereo with a video screen and a television in the trunk that showcases the car\u2019s transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI designed everything, every single thing on this car,\u201d Vigil said, adding that all of the engraving was handcrafted.<\/p>\n

Inside the Farmington Museum and Visitors Center, Gurule showcased the fully customized \u201cGolden Ram,\u201d a 1995 Dodge Ram 1500 with full hydraulics, suicide doors, a suicide hood, a tilt bed, a tilt front end and a chrome undercarriage.<\/p>\n

The truck, built around 2000, has been featured in Lowrider magazine and has won top honors at the Lowrider Super Show, Gurule said.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernande, D-Santa Fe, addresses the crowd Saturday at the Lowrider Culture Car Show in Farmington. David Edward Albright\/Tri-City Record<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
U.S. Rep Teresa Leger Fernandez<\/div>\n

Leger Fernandez highlighted the cultural significance of lowriders, tying their history and artistry to broader themes of community, identity and recognition.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you know what I love is that Chicano culture, core culture, and American culture all come together with lowriders,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Recalling a time when cruising was outlawed, she said the practice was discriminatory and \u201canti-Chicano.\u201d She noted those laws are no longer in place and that the Smithsonian is now honoring lowrider culture in Farmington.<\/p>\n

\u201cArt, culture and our highways connect people and communities,\u201d Leger Fernandez said, asking the crowd whether they would support a National Lowrider Day. \u201cOh da ley,\u201d which means \u201cWow, OK, come on,\u201d she shouted.<\/p>\n

Leger Fernandez said she introduced legislation to establish a National Lowrider Day to mark the culture\u2019s path from discrimination to celebration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez calls for the creation of a National Lowrider Day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6300],"tags":[1820,28,29,1829,6419],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-126683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tri-cities","tag-dh-trueanthem","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter","tag-tcr-trueanthem","tag-tj-trueanthem"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126683"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128378,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126683\/revisions\/128378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126683"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=126683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}