PICTURED SITES ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS TEXT.
Vantage describes Mexico as a surprisingly complex nation of many cultures, ancient civilizations, and friendly people which we explored ranging from charming Spanish-colonial towns with cobbled plazas and vast complexes of pre-Columbian ruins to sophisticated cities full of culture, baroque architecture and the arts. We learned of the people's traditions through music and dance performances and museum visits.
An index of articles related to this trip can be seen at our home page: http://www.worldisround.com/home/jdtan/index.html
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Guadalajara is on a plain with an elevation of more than a mile surrounded on three sides by mountains. The country's second-largest city has more than four million people. Its name is similar to a city in Spain and comes from an Arabic word meaning "river of rocks."
There are many small communities within an hour's drive from Guadalajara. On the last day of our Mexican visit we bussed southward from the city to see the country's largest natural lake, Lake Chapala, which is surrounded by jagged hills and peaceful towns. The name probably came from Chapalac, the chief of the region's Indians in 1538 when the Spaniards arrived.
Chapala is the area's main town. It was a weekend getaway for aristocrats in the late 19th century. Wealthy Mexicans began traveling to Chapala after former president Portfirio Diaz began spending time there. Many summer homes were built, and the Chapala Yacht Club opened in 1910. One very distinctive, European-style building next to San Francisco Church became the home of Alberto Braniff, a member of the famous airline family. Today, his house is a restaurant, the Cazadores.
The first San Francisco Church was built in 1528. It was later destroyed by a hurricane with rebuilding in 1749. It has been immortalized by D. H. Lawrence in the last pages of his novel, "The Plumed Serpent", written during Lawrence's brief stay in Chapala.
Five miles away, Ajijic is a village where thousands of North American retirees have settled. It has narrow cobblestone streets, brightly-colored buildings, and a slow pace of life. Because of the large number of Americans, English is widely spoken. Artists and writers from around the world were lured by the ideal climate, the unspoiled quaintness of the village, and the unique blending of European culture with that of the native villagers.
Ajijic (pronounced Ah-hee-heek) means "the place where the water springs forth" in an Indian language. The pre-colonial village is on a narrow strip of land on the north shore of Lake Chapala located between mountains and the lake.
About a block from the zocalo, San Andres Church, as well as its small chapel called Virgin de Santiago which is on the zocalo, dates to the 1500's. San Andres Church was rebuilt in 1749.
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