HOUSTON – Gleaming chrome, vibrant paint and the rhythmic bounce of hydraulics are more than just eye-catching — they are a living expression of identity and pride for the members of Chicano Boulevard, a lowrider group rooted in Houston’s East End neighborhood of Magnolia Park.
Chicano Boulevard member Ben Galvan said the love of lowriders runs deep.
“We just learn from each other and it became a passion to, you know, visualize our cars and our art — and the way we express our cars to our personal lives,” Galvan said. “It inspire me in so many ways when I was growing up,” he added.
A culture passed down through generations
Chicano Boulevard’s mission goes beyond turning heads on the street. The group is committed to preserving, celebrating and educating others about Chicano culture — and lowriders are one of the most powerful tools they use to do it.
The tradition stretches back decades, with roots in the 1940s and 1950s, when Chicanos began transforming their vehicles into rolling works of art and cultural expression.
For Galvan, that tradition is deeply personal. He now cruises the streets of Magnolia Park behind the wheel of a 1966 Chevy Impala, and he hopes to pass that same passion on to the next generation.
“Yes, exactly, like right now I have three sons and I’m blessed — to follow the same passion that I love,” Galvan said.
What it means to be Chicano
For the members of Chicano Boulevard, the lowrider is inseparable from identity. Co-founder Firme Funk describes what being Chicano means to him.
“To me it means a sense of indigenous pride. For me, being Chicano really means stripping away the borders — no more than Mexican or more than American,” Funk said.
Co-founder Isaac Rodriguez shared a similar perspective.
“It is just an identity we choose to embrace. It represents us. We celebrate our culture,” Rodriguez said.
Keeping the tradition rolling
For those curious about joining the lowrider community, Galvan offers some straightforward advice — and a word of caution.
“If you want to be in the lowrider community, it takes lots of money — it takes patience,” he said.
But for Galvan and his fellow members of Chicano Boulevard, no cost is too great to keep the culture alive.
“We don’t want this lowrider culture to die out, and it never will as long as we keep showing our love and passion to these vehicles that we have,” Galvan said.
Start Here, Houston
More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.