The launching of Lowrider season 2024
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This profile of Mexicantown from the Fall 2024 issue of Preservation Magazine, published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, introduces friends of the Guide as well as key themes we hope to highlight in future posts
Santiago Esparza III’s Hank Aguirre’s Mexican Industries profile of Detroit Tiger baseball legend and pioneering minority automotive supplier was developed in partnership with El Central, the area’s Hispanic community newspaper; and
Andrea Meza’s "Blessing of The Lowriders" article appeared in El Central in May 2024. It explains the origins of this neighborhood tradition and emphasizes that “those unfamiliar with lowrider culture might mistakenly believe that it's connected to gangs, but in fact, lowriders are about art, religion, and especially, familia.”
The Guide team anticipates adding reference articles that explore the turbulent era of the 1920-1930s when Mexicans first found employment in the Ford Rouge plant and area factories during the auto boom years, only to be forced back to Mexico during the Great Depression. In addition, the Guide anticipates being able to develop profiles of the Hispanic Manufacturing Center and the Ideal Group.
University faculty and students interested in the effort to research and select articles to add to this page can contact the Guide Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Photo Credits: Luciana Vega, courtesy of EL CENTRAL Hispanic News
The Southwest Detroit Business Association supported the work associated with generating Santiago’s article.
