Learning From South Phoenix

 

South Phoenix Cars and Culture

This painting below was found on the gate to a tire or muffler shop, it is hard to tell which as the painting is sandwiched between the two.  Looking at this picture reminds me of my childhood in Yuma Arizona, a largely populated Mexican culture.  When I was a boy, cruisers in cars like the one depicted here could always be found parked or cruising around Sangranetti Park just down the street from my house.

This picture to me is like the “El Hombre” painted by David Martinez mentioned in our readings.  This painting like El Hombre is a snap shot of another time in history of the Hispanic culture.  It is not only part of the South Phoenix culture, but also part the Spanish culture in many of the low-income districts across America.  I remember the look of the guys who drove these low riders with their bandanas or slicked back hair and remember them in their white tank top shirts, black belt and chains attached to their wallets.  They would cruise the park with their stereos cranking and cars bouncing from the hydraulic suspension systems.  It seems like it was a different time, place and culture.

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