November 30, 2012 A religious celebration that praises the San Andres Apostal, which the town Church is named after. This is how the Fiestas started, but has also turned into a fun time for all residents of Ajijic, Chapala, San Antonio and nearby Jocotepec. Everyone loves the Ajijic fiestas, and they are known to be the best out of all the municipalities in the lakeside region. Every night for 9...

September 16, 2012 September 16th is a big day in Mexico. The land celebrates it's Independence from Spain, which started on September 16, 1810. Local primary and elementary schools practice for weeks, until they reach the 16th of September, where they finally march all their students through Constituacion street and ending at the Ajijic Plaza. Marching bands and "Charros" join the activities by...

November 12, 2012 The celebration of "Dia de Los Muertos", which means "Day of the Dead" is a national holiday in  Mexico. Families honor their loved ones by cleaning their graves, decorating them with flowers (most common ones "calveles") and making an altar to honor them with items they liked when they were still alive, some more common ones are cigarettes, favorite foods and alcohol. Family members...

November 12, 2012 The Revolution day parade is held in the town on Chapala and Ajijic on November 20th of each year to celebrate the Mexican Revolution. The Access office is right up the street from where the parade passes, so every year we enjoy taking part of this great event.  All the school kids put on a show for all the residents of Ajijic, some put on costumes and uniforms, others play band...

This year the Feria Maestros del Arte was held in West Ajijic at the Plaza de la Ribera, Number 10 Rio Bravo street. The entrance fee was 50 pesos and that was well worth it. It was held for three days; Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 16th through November 18th. I was only able to go on the last day and I regret that. I missed many interesting events that were also part of the art and craft exhibits....

The Day of the Dead is one of the biggest holidays in Mexico. It lasts for three days. During that time, people clean up the graves of their departed loved ones and create altars in front of their homes or at the graves. The children run around and trick or treat, just as they do in the States. There are parties and lots of loud bangs of the firecrackers and cohetes. It is believed that the noises scare...

The annual Thrill the World Zombie Dance took place on Saturday, October 27th, 2012. This is an international event to raise money for charities. It was inspired by Michael Jackson's Thriller music video. Thrill the World is an allusion to his song title, Heal the World. People from all over the world danced to his Thriller song at the same time. Zombie coming out of the Bathroom If you had been at...

The Rainy Season in Ajijic For many lakeside residents the four month “Rainy Season,” mid-June through mid-October, is their favorite time of year. With a semi-tropical climate supporting a year-long growing season, the lakeside flora is always abundant with an unparalleled variety of plant life.  But as we move through our eight months of almost no rain, the hills and mountains become dry with more...

The Ajijic Art Street show was held on October 13th and 14th, Saturday and Sunday. It was a two day event. It started in the morning and lasted until the evening with art, music, dancing, food and fun.  Ajijic is a center for the arts. There were many different kinds of art work on display; oils, acrylics, watercolors, sculptures, photographs, etc. Most of the art work was for sale. All the artists...

The rodeo was scheduled to start at four in the afternoon. Very few people showed up at that time, mostly expats. I am assuming that the Mexicans didn't take an opening time too seriously. As we say in Ajijic, M.T. (Mexican time) or E.T. (Expat time).  This event was on M.T. It didn't open until almost six p.m. But the wait was worthwhile. What else is there to do in Mexico except sit in the sunshine and...