Route 66 Burque Battle Showcases Lowrider Culture in Albuquerque

“My grandpa completely built this bike for us when we were little boys and we’ve been showing,” said 18-year-old Nehemiah Anaya.

Organizers offered free resources, career opportunities, and children’s activities at no cost during the event.

For Anaya, the show connects directly to his family history. He told KOB 4 that he wants to help keep that legacy alive by caring for the bikes his grandfather built.

“He put his blood, sweat and tears into these bikes and I mean we love taking care of them, waxing them, keeping them clean,” Anaya said.

Jaden Velasquez shared a similar family connection to the exhibition. His grandfather built a bike for his mother when she was a child so the two of them could show together, according to KOB 4.

Victoria Saldana, a diesel mechanic who built her own lowrider, said her grandfather inspired her love for cars.

“So my grandpa was a mechanic. He raised me to be a mechanic. And so I started building my car. But he loved low riders,” Saldana said, as reported by KOB 4.

Filimon Pino, who has been part of lowrider culture for nearly 30 years, said the tight-knit community keeps people coming back year after year.

“It’s just one, our motto for us that we have here in Albuquerque is one team, one dream,” Pino told KOB 4. “And that’s where we have, we all come together as a unity just to show off what we do, our cars, our bikes, there’s Harleys out here and venues, people come out here.”

Organizers said they want that sense of unity to reach the next generation and help preserve Albuquerque’s cultural heritage.

“So it’s important that our kids, you know, continue these traditions and our heritage of building and working with their hands and learning the trade to eventually build a car one day,” Julia Pluemer said, according to KOB 4.

Pluemer and other organizers said they hope events like the Route 66 Burque Battle continue building positive connections while giving younger generations a chance to carry on Albuquerque’s enduring lowrider tradition.