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“Lowriding is in Denise’s sangre,” said Almanza, holding her Yorkie puppy, Chevy.

She walked the crowd through all the artwork while lecturing in a loud but measured voice on the history of women in lowriding and the challenges they’ve faced.

She credits the museum for funding her research trips to lowrider shows across the country, which allowed her to expand her ideas of what lowriding was.

She especially pushes back against the idea that only cholos drive them — “From the start, there’s been a family and philanthropic aspect to lowriding” — and insists that chroniclers should depict women as more than just proverbial eye candy.

In the fall, Sandoval plans to visit Japan for the first time and check out the lowriding scene that influenced her career choice so long ago.