Why Ajijic and Lake Chapala?
February 15, 2022
Our friends, Tom and Steve have invited us to visit for years. Other friends moved to Ajijic and raved about the weather, the environment and the people, so we took it as a message from the universe to visit. Beth and I had fantasized about the pe rfect place to live. This made-up place looked more and more like Mayberry from the Andy Griffith Show. We knew the town should to be small, rain only at night and be no closer than fifty miles to a Walmart.
The three major towns on the north side of Lake Chapala are all very Mayberry like. Very old Mayberry as they were settled by the Spanish in the 1500s and by the natives’ centuries earlier. Chapala, population 51,000 to the east. Ajijic, 11,500 (Up to half are gringos), three miles west. And then Jocotopec, 38,000, another seven or eight miles on the west end of the lake. In between is a necklace of smaller villages, all with their own plazas and Malecons (beach front walk). Farther up the hills are developments, many high-end, gated and guarded communities of Gringos and the wealthy from Guadalajara. Beth and I will explore the smaller towns during this stay.
The towns are laid out with the lake to the south and the mountains to the north. The Carratera, the connecting road, runs east and west through the center of the towns.
We are most familiar with Ajijic because that is where we have been staying. Ajijic is both easy and somewhat difficult to navigate. The sidewalks and cobblestone streets can be a challenge. The buildings are built up to the lot lines, each block
walled to the sidewalk. The side walks are three to four feet wide and elevated six inches above the street. Step a side or off the sidewalk to let another person pass. There may be a telephone pole or a garbage can to squeeze around. Sometimes the sidewalk drops to accommodate a driveway or disappears all together. The streets are made of cobblestones that look more like river rock. They are just wide
enough for parking on one side, with room for cars to pass one way. Walking the streets of Ajijic is like hiking in the northwest, keep your eyes on the trail.
Walking Ajijic is rewarding and more than worth the challenge. Magnificent murals on many buildings range from historic people or events to animals and flowers or cosmic goddesses. Flowers flow off of walls and buildings. Tiendas sell everything from vegies and leather goods to cell phones. Art galleries abound. Dogs greet you or when it gets warmer, invite you to walk around them. Song birds and parrots serenade you along your way. There is a parade of friendly people, young and old, sharing your experience and an occasional Caballero with his horse riding up the street.
Ajijic is laid out in a grid. Lower Ajijic between the lake and the Carratera. Central Ajijic with the plaza and cathedral is five square blocks. West and East Ajijic are an additional five blocks on either side. Upper Ajijic (central, east and west) is north of the Carratera, three to five blocks deep, depending on how far up the mountain the neighborhood goes. The cathedral with its tall spire is in the middle. It is nearly impossible for most people to get lost. Beth is getting better.
The longer we stay, the more Mayberry like Ajijic and the lakeside area become. We may need to concede the Walmart criteria because there is one on the Carratera. We may even learn to like Walmart.
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