Yesterday was Palm Sunday and I observed, with a feeling of respect and rapture, the local Mexicans begin to celebrate Semana Santa (Holy Week). As I drove to meet my friend who lives on Hidalgo, the street of Ajijic processions, I was amazed. Men, women and children were sweeping the street in front of their […]
Continue ReadingSanta Semana (Easter week) captured center stage last month in Ajijic. For me, it was a chance to really appreciate both the Mexican customs as well as enjoying some from back home. The celebrations of our Mexican hosts begins with The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary on Friday, April 11: “Processions and special altars […]
Continue ReadingLast month, during the holidays, I experienced a magical mix of south and north-of-the border celebrations. My parents visited for two weeks during Christmas, which made it a special time for me. In anticipation of their visit, I decided to decorate the house and put up a tree. Although not a particularly charitable act, I […]
Continue ReadingPosted by Suzanne on June 28, 1997: We’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading this site recently and now have another question. With a lake the size of Lake Chapala there must be pleasure boating but haven’t found much info. We’re thinking about bringing a boat or buying there. Does anyone know about marinas, boats for sale, boating […]
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The north shore of Lake Chapala is alive with the arts in all their manifestations. Music and dance — from folk to classical, theater in English at the Lakeside Little Theatre, book clubs and creative writing groups complement the offering of galleries. Here are some suggestions to get you started. The telephone numbers are local. […]
Continue ReadingVILLAGE IN THE SUN HOUSE IN THE SUN CANDELARIA’S COOKBOOK ALL by DANE CHANDOS These books were written in the early 1940s and VILLAGE IN THE SUN is still considered to be one of the most endearing books written about Mexico to this day. Set in the area of Ajijic, Jalisco, it gives a delightful view of […]
Continue ReadingThe earliest human inhabitants of the Lake Chapala area were probably nomadic tribes of Indians who had settled on the shores and islands of the lake, catching fish, extracting salt, and trying to herd wild game towards the water’s edge so that it would get bogged down in the mud. By the time the Spanish […]
Continue ReadingCandelaria is back, with her special logic, folk wisdom and Mexican home-style recipes in the bilingual ‘Las Recetas de Candelaria,’ or ‘Candelaria’s Cookbook.’ Readers of Dane Chandos’ charming ‘Village in the Sun’, about life around Lake Chapala in the ‘40s, will recall Candelaria as the cook who ‘could carry in her head scores and scores of recipes.’ […]
Continue ReadingCogan’s Reviews I’m not sure how come I’ve lived in Mexico these last seven years and never got around to reading this rather well known account of life in Ajijic a good half century ago. This seems to be about the time that the earliest arrivals from up north “discovered” the place and decided to […]
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Cogan’s Reviews My spies tell me that author Scofield used to live in Ajijic and that Lago de Luz, the setting for her novel, is in fact Ajijic. If so, here’s her description of the village: “Lago de Luz, on the altiplano far from the sea, where it is neither hot nor cold, boasts no […]
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