ART DOCUMENTARY PROJECT
The streets of Mexico, the spirit of adventure, and the car that unites it all
By
Rodrigo Gaya Villar
Published
Carrara Media
300 Pages - Bilingual - Hardcover - Printed and Made in Mexico
A visual road trip through Mexico and the unstoppable human spirit.
— Patrick Farrell, Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer
NOW AVAILABLE
For five years, Rodrigo Gaya Villar traveled the streets of Mexico City and its mountain villages in search of the "vocho": the Volkswagen Beetle that became one of Mexico's most enduring symbols.
The VW Beetles—and the "Beetle enthusiasts" who preserve them—become the vehicle through which Gaya rediscovers his ancestral land. Along the way, he learns how this German car, with its sixty-year history, transformed Mexico's trajectory by offering a simple and affordable means of transportation.
The result is an anthropological study of a country, its people, and the car that became their mascot.
Preorders ship the week of April 27, 2026. Complimentary domestic shipping.
A photobook for everyone."
Patrick Farrell
Pulitzer Prize Winner, Breaking News Photography 2009
"Through the author’s creative, patient eye for composition and moment, the beloved Volkswagen Beetle chug-chugs into our hearts as a resilient, iconic symbol of Mexican pop culture and street life. Patched with ingenuity, painted in rebellion, parked in the middle of life, these vochos persevere as vessels of Mexican memory and mischief. Gaya Villar is a rare talent capable of merging the rawness of documentary photography with the art of portraiture. We are willing and enchanted passengers on his visual road trip through not only Mexico, but the unstoppable human spirit."
Larry Chen
Author of Life At Shutter Speed
"The Volkswagen Beetle is such an iconic car and I can't think of a better place to photograph them than their natural habitat. Gaya seamlessly incorporates each vehicle and tells a story with each photo. It's not always about the car, which makes Vochos Unidos so warm and relatable. I'm proud to have this book on my coffee table."
Victoria Scott
Author of We Deserve This
"By seamlessly blending playful punch-buggy car-spotting with stunningly framed street photography, Rodrigo Gaya Villar vividly demonstrates that ‘car culture’ simply is culture. His eye for dusty old beaters and tucked-away alleys highlights what other artists might ignore, and his work feels fresh and novel even with the iconic silhouette of the vocho as its uniting theme. Far more than a book of automotive photography, Vochos Unidos is a gorgeously affectionate portrait of both the Beetle and Mexico."
Kevin McCauley
Author of Waiting for the Sun to Come Down
"Through a camera and his creative eye, Rodrigo Gaya Villar investigates Volkswagen Beetles known as vochos from every imaginable perspective. In the process, he shows us joy, freedom, strife, and the pulse of megacity living. Across hundreds of beautiful photographs of this automotive icon, Vochos Unidos depicts humanity itself."
Oliver Wang
author of Cruising J-Town and Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach.
"Vochos Unidos is a dazzling, street‑level tour of Mexico’s towns and cities, with the country’s ubiquitous Volkswagen Bug at its center. Gaya Villar roams Mexico’s regions, spotting these vochos everywhere from the back alleys of Mexico City to the sandy shores of Oaxaca. The book is a visually poetic love letter to his homeland and its favorite, adopted child.
Book Details
Ranked among the Best Automotive Coffee Table Books of 2026.
Title: Vochos Unidos
Author: Rodrigo Gaya Villar
Format: Hardcover (Limited Edition includes protective case)
Dimensions: 9.0 × 11.5 inches
Page Count: 306 pages
Genres:
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TRA001060: TRANSPORTATION / Automotive / Pictorial
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TRV014000: TRAVEL / Mexico
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PHO019000: PHOTOGRAPHY / Subjects & Themes / Regional
Release Date: April 27th, 2026
Now Available in North America and Worldwide Shipping.
We are working to make the book widely available in the Mexican market. Please stay tuned for updates.
Bookstores
List Updated May 2026
We highly recommend purchasing from a local bookstore near you including:
1. Autobooks-Aerobooks
2900 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 845-0707
2. Peterson Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
3. Vintage Motor Union
6060 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
