Point South Mexico - Real Estate and Lifestyle Magazine

It’s fiesta time in Ajijic and people that reside in one of the downtown Ajijic Rentals,have wonderful sights to behold . Evening services at the church are over and the townspeople are crammed shoulder to shoulder around the central plaza. Couples clustered near the bandstand boogie to the brassy beat of popular banda tunes. Squealing kids clamour for the mechanical rides. Teenage guys and gals parade around the square, exchanging flirtatious glances as they shuffle along in opposite directions. Others keep an eye on the action from the busy sidewalk cantinas and taco stands strung around the perimeter. The air is filled with music and happy voices, the wafting aroma of sizzling meats and spicy condiments, an undercurrent of the intoxicating brew that fuel the fun.

As the night wears on for those that reside in Ajijic Rentals, folks gravitate back towards the church edging up to a wooden tower that rises majestically from the cobblestone street. They gather in eager anticipation of the igniting of el castillo (the castle)--the dazzling fireworks display that will cap off the day’s festivities.

The Lake Chapala, Ajijic Mx area of Mexico prides itself on having a diverse cultural scene, including English language theatre, resident artists with private galleries, and many classical music concerts. Of these events, the annual Northern Lights Music Festival each February that takes place in Ajijic Mx has become perhaps the largest and most anticipated of these cultural happenings. “In just five years, it’s become one of the region’s most important music festivals, trailing only Guadalajara’s legendary mariachi festival,” said David Agren, Toronto Star.

So what is it about Ajijic Mx, that makes it a magnet for such cultural diversity? On the shores of Mexico’s grandest lake are many lovely towns and villages, but the cultural pulse is found in Ajijic Mx (A-hee-HEEK), a historic pueblo with narrow cobblestone streets that give it a charming village feel. Because of large numbers of visitors from nearby Guadalajara, and especially because of a huge community of Canadians and other retirees, the town is exceptionally endowed with a vibrant scene of arts, culture, and cuisine. And all are presented year round under the blue skies of a perfect climate.

From the time Homo Erectus realized chasing mammoths around all week made for serious joint pain, there’s been a rush to find nature’s balms within every earthly nook and cranny.

Today, hundreds of natural locations around the planet have been enshrined as centres endowed with the capacity to heal an entire Gray’s Anatomy of physical illnesses. And while thousands of the halt and lame seek out these sacred groves and mystical energy “vortexes” that reputedly provide illusive cures, the jury is still out on whether these sudden health benefits have any medical basis or are simply the result of illusory, wishful thinking. So the question remains: Can exposure to nature and the earth’s peculiar climatic and geological components actually affect human health? Or are we just as effectively treated for our nagging maladies by dancing naked on the summer solstice wearing shells and feathers and hootin’ at the moon?

The ranchero, on a mare, and his young son on a burro, study the scene far below them in the canyon. All morning they had been mending fences and rounding up stray cattle which they had left at the small dam with the rest of their herd. The man rides with a confident air; pistol tucked into his belt under his shirt, machete ready for trail clearing.

They ride trails carved by myriads of hooves and feet over hundreds of years which interlace the mountains. Some are etched in bedrock inches deep, others follow streams or snake through brushy country to remote ranches.

Now, the father and son are heading home, down to the village by way of the barranca trail, looking forward to a hearty comida.

As they regard the stream below, the little boy exclaims, “Oh, no, Papa, that river looks angry, just like the lake on a stormy day.”