The Lake is the reason for everything here.
Always has been.
It moderates the temperatures making it one of the best climates in the World.
Never too hot never too cold. Never humid.
It provided the local Indians for thousands of years with reeds to build houses, reeds to build the boats to catch the fish in the Lake, warm thermal waters and much game in the surrounding hills. Not a bad place to set up camp.
Those who lived here were the Nahuatl.
Axixic in the Nahuatl language means “Place where water is born” or “Place of many springs’-
or Place where the water bubbles up”.
Water is certainly the main feature of this place. That along with the high hills that enclose the lake.
Cerro Garcia is the highest peak across the lake.
It is just over 9000 feet high or 4000 above the lake itself.
Above-looking back at San Juan Cosala from the south side of the Lake. Ajijic is further to the right.
Below- The lake from Rancho La Salud where we are building our house. This is where we put in our kayaks.
Above-In the rainy season massive thunder heads rise up in the south and eventually turn into nocturnal downpours.
Below the mountains behind the Lake with rainy season cloud cover.
Below-East of the town of Chapala it is little visited by most Gringos.
Here the mountains come right down to the Lake with villages clinging to the steep cliffside.
Below– looking west toward Chapala and Ajijic.
Below– Looking at the village of Mezcal and the island of the same name. This island has a unique history which I will tell in a later posting.
Above-Driving west from Mezcala. This is the quiet end of the Lake.
Above-The western end of the Lake at San Juan Cosala looking east. The town of Chapala is the round hill in the far distance.
Below– View from Tuxcueca on the south side.
Below-Taken with an Iphone this grainy shot of sunset light on Mount Garcia across the Lake.
