There is a network of active Canadian Clubs across Canada and around the world, but few of those groups can challenge the setting of the members of the Lake Chapala club who gather on the second Wednesday of September through April in the lovely lakeshore garden of the Canadian-owned hotel, La Nueva Posada.

As he waited for a name tag at a recent meeting, one newly arrived member from a club in Ontario tilted his head so the sun could shine onto his face and said to his companion, “Can you believe this perfect day? Here I am, comfortable in shorts. I’ve never before attended a Canadian Club meeting without a heavy coat.”

Each year more Canadians abandon their former winter snowbird destinations to live happily for a few months or all year long in colourful central Mexico. They often prefer to take up lodging in Lake Chapala and the surrounding areas.

What’s causing once fiercely loyal winter Texans, Arizonians and Floridians to abandon their previous warm haunts and move farther south and seek out lodgin in Lake Chapala? Well, the area has a nearly perfect climate, is close to an international airport and excellent medical care, has restaurants, hotels and bed and breakfasts, activities and events to suit every visitor’s dream for the perfect winter escape. Mexico’s largest natural lake is the focal point of the country’s high central plain. Located less than an hour south of Guadalajara (Mexico’s second largest city), Lake Chapala is approximately 100 kms long and 20 kms wide, and home to 5,000 to 7,000 full-time foreign residents with nearly three times that many visitors arriving during January, February and March.

 

As the weather turns cooler in the North Country, the thoughts of many Canadians turn to sunny Mexico and areas like Ajijic Mx, and the Lake Chapala area. This is not only a wonderful place to discover a beautiful and unique culture, but also a great place to meet fellow Canadians who visit and live in Lake Chapala, Ajijic Mx, San Miguel Mx and other areas. When first visiting Mexico, it is easy to think “Wouldn’t it be exciting to own a place in Mexico that we could come to every year?” With the strength of the Canadian dollar to the Mexican peso, it is more affordable than ever to look at purchasing a home or condo.

In the 18th century, Catholic church fathers chastened the denizens of San Miguel de Allende for holding too many celebrations. Fortunately for us, no one seemed to listen and the fiesta goes on. Here are some highlights of the city’s many annual festivities.

November: Souls of deceased children are welcomed back by their families on November 1, Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints’ Day), and on November 2, Día de los Fieles Difuntos (All Souls’ Day), the adult dearly departed are enticed to visit. Altars laden with marigolds, candles, food, and photos of the deceased offer comfort and nourishment, and elaborately adorned plots serve as picnic sites as family and friends gather in the cemeteries to commune with the dead. Also called Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” this centuries-old tradition celebrates the continuity of life and a uniquely Mexican view of death.