Listen to this authentic voice from the far land of New Mexico's past. Pull up a chair. Throw away your watch. The author will tell you a story. She was born more than a century ago, and her stories were born centuries before that. Now through the graceful agency of her grandson, Don Usner, her stories will live on, told and retold, shared widely, the irrepressible spirit of old New Mexico captured and held between these covers.

Lowriding is a beloved cultural tradition in New Mexico, especially the northern communities and villages including Espanola, also known as the lowrider capital of the world. The classic car fixed up for shows and cruising has become a symbol of Hispano and community pride for the car aficionados, artists, and mechanics whose lives are immersed in the culture. They flaunt their cars in publiclocals and tourists admire classic lines, upholstered interiors, and shiny chrome hubcaps when they pass by. It isnt surprising they captured the eye of other artists who have photographed the beauty and uniqueness of this art form. Thanks to them, we have a wonderful forty-year record of the cars and their makers as well as their homeland. Photographs by New Mexicos most renowned documentarians such as Alex Harris, Jack Parsons, Miguel Gandert, Annie Sahlin, Meridel Rubenstein, Don J. Usner, and Siegfried Halus are included alongside photographers newer on the scene, creating a fascinating compilation of lowriders over time. From the magnificent views of New Mexicos gorgeous landscape through the interior of a lowrider by Alex Harris, to Jack Parsons iconic lowrider images that were published in the classic MNM Press book, Low n slow: Lowriding in New Mexico, to Miguel Gandert and Don Usners cultural take on lowriders and their communities, we are able to look back at an enduring but evolving tradition. In his essay, Don J. Usner provides an insightful overview of lowriding in New Mexico, how it evolved, the culture, and the car makers themselves who are also known as lowriders. In his intimate interviews with lowriders, he records in their own words what lowriding means to them as they mourn lost friends and familyicons in the communityand discuss generational shifts and trends