Ajijic

From left to right Filiberto Pérez Vega, Nadia Vega and José González Valenzuela. Photo: Sofía Medeles

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- Three Ajijic runners from the   «Team Jou,» mountain runners  shined  in the competition «Ultra Cerro Rojo» in Tlatlauquitepec, Puebla, which took place on April 30.

They are José «Jou» Valenzuela, Filiberto Pérez Vega and Nadia Vega, who ran in the free category, covering different distances: Jou competed in the 50 km race, reaching ninth place, Nadia in the 15 km race, achieving sixth place and Filiberto in the 30 km race, positioning himself in fifteenth place.

Both Filiberto and José said they were happy with the experience, even though they described it as a «hard» race. For Nadia, this competition is the second in which she has participated outside of Jalisco.  She shared that she found it incredible to go out and see these places that she described as beautiful.

«Because of my injury, the race was a little difficult for me, but I finished it out of pride. On the route, organizers supported me and gave me a pill for the pain to keep me going. Although I did not reach the goal I had set for myself and felt frustrated, it motivates me to continue and to do better in the next races,» said Jou Valenzuela. 

The three mountain marathoners agreed that they will continue running in races outside of their hometown, and that they feel very motivated – as well as grateful – for the support that the people of Ajijic have given them. 

When asked about how runners are selected to represent «Team Jou» in this type of race, Valenzuela said that they are chosen for «the commitment» they put into their training.

He also invited anyone who wants to be part of his team to contact him through his Facebook page, «Jou Valenzuela» so that he can provide them with information about the group.

Translated by Rebecca Zittle

La Cristina bridge still obstructed by large rocks. Photo: Sofía Medeles.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- The streams that until a few months ago were clogged are now in the process of being cleared, so they will be clean before the rainy season, said Maximiano Macías Arceo. the acting delegate of Ajijic. 

He added that work is underway and advancing as fast as possible in the streams of the western zone of Ajijic. These are the most obstructed streams, due to the mudslides that occurred in October of last year. 

«Our goal, and the order of president Alejandro Aguirre Curiel, is to finish the works before the rains arrive. Both Civil Protection and the municipal government agree that Ajijic is a priority, due to the condition of the streams. However, city personnel are also focused on streams throughout the municipality,» he said.

The same La Cristina bridge on the side has already been cleaned. Photo: Sofia Medeles

He commented that in the days that they have been cleaning the first stream in La Cristina, they aren’t dealing much with garbage, but rather with the debris from the mudslides that occurred in October, mainly large stones.

«We are close to finishing and cleaning up,» he added. These works are being carried out by hand because the heavy machinery that they use to clean the riverbeds and bridges cannot reach the clogged areas.

When the cleaning of the first bridge is finished, Macías Arceo shared that they will clean eight more riverbeds and their bridges, from east to west, during the next few weeks. 

Macías Arceo added that he would take advantage of the suitable stones excavated during the cleanup to use them for the paving and patching works in the streets of Ajijic.

Translated by Sandy Britton

Imagen donde apenas se alcanza a percibir la máquina trabajando en la montaña. Foto: Ajijic Observatorio Ciudadano.

Sofía Medeles.- Por medio de redes sociales se difundió que maquinaria ha estado trabajando cerca del Cerro Colorado, ubicado al poniente de Ajijic y muy querido por los pobladores. 

La publicación se realizó en el grupo de Facebook “Ajijic Observatorio Ciudadano», donde se alcanza a distinguir una excavadora en el lugar de los hechos. En comentarios, se aclara que el lugar se encuentra entre el Cerro Colorado y el cerro Las Tres Cañadas.

El departamento de comunicación social del Gobierno de Chapala aseguró estar al tanto de la situación. Al presentarse inspectores en el sitio, les mostraron licencias para construcción, las cuales, fueron aprobadas durante la administración pasada.

“Se revisó y se encontraron los permisos otorgados en la administración pasada, aunque hay cosas que se notan fuera de lugar. Se está trabajando para revisar y analizar si existen inconsistencias”, afirmó la titular del departamento, Elizabeth Oropeza Silva.

Tanto en redes, como entre las personas, se dice mucho sobre estas obras. Desde que se sabe de varios presuntos dueños del predio y lo que se pretende hacer con ellos, hasta que la Comunidad Indígena de Ajijic, está involucrada.

Asimismo, al menos dos funcionarios salieron a asegurar en la publicación que destapó estos trabajos, que la Dirección de Ecología, entre otras dependencias, se encuentran investigando el caso.

Finalmente, por parte de comunicación social, se agregó que siguen en investigaciones y que por lo que han percibido, el espacio donde están trabajando se ve amplio.

El Cerro Colorado es muy querido por los ajijitecos, ya que es un sitio que alberga leyendas, y es parte de la historia del pueblo y la cultura popular. También es reconocido por visitantes, debido a su peculiar forma, que asemeja la cabeza y el ala de un ave rapaz. 

Algunos entrevistados habitantes de Ajijic, cuentan que el cerro ya se ha visto amenazado por la urbanización en algunas ocasiones, más que nada, en la lotificación de terrenos que poseen particulares.

Predio donde se encuentra el pozo ubicado en los límites del municipio, en La Cristina. Foto: Sofía Medeles.

Sofía Medeles.– El nuevo pozo, cuyos trabajos iniciaron en el 2020, por fin están por concluirse, por lo que podría comenzar a funcionar tentativamente a mediados de este año, es decir, en junio.

El encargado del Sistema Municipal de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado (SIMAPA) Ajijic, Timoteo Aldana Pérez, manifestó que son varias personas las que se encuentran haciendo entre trabajos de tubería, infraestructura y eléctricos, para que en aproximadamente tres semanas se pueda “echar a andar”.

“Ya se hizo el trabajo de meter tubería, desde el pozo hasta donde se conecta al sistema del pueblo. Son 600 metros de tuberías de seis pulgadas. De ahí, prenderlo y ver cómo funciona”, explicó el funcionario.

Además, señaló que se tendrá que usar por tres o cuatro días para ver cómo funciona, ya que los pozos son impredecibles. “Pueden dar un buen aforo y luego bajar, no sabemos por qué, pero ha pasado. Seremos optimistas y esperamos que el pozo sea bueno y dure”.

Las zonas que beneficiará este nuevo suministro de agua son las del poniente de Ajijic, es decir, La Cristina, La Canacinta, Alceseca, Puerta Nueva, La Zapota, entre otros barrios. 

Este pozo inició a construir en noviembre del 2020, por la administración encabezada por Moisés Alejandro Anaya Aguilar, sin embargo, sólo se hizo el trabajo de perforación. 

Vid Wine Forum 2022 

Day: May 7 and 8

16 wineries, tastings, culinary tastings, musical presentations 

Venue: Chapala Yacht Club

From $540 to 1,000 pesos, children under 12 years old free of charge

Traditional Mother’s Day Festival «Adolfo Rayo»

Day: Tuesday, May 10

Cultural activity with mariachi, contests and gifts for mothers

Place: Atrium of the parish of San Francisco de Asis, Chapala

Time: 8 pm

Free

Joco Loco May Cultural Festival

Day: May 14 and 15

Cultural Festival with more than 22 musical presentations and other artists

Venue: Casa Joco – Calle el Chante #5, Jocotepec

Hours: noon – midnight 

Tickets available through Facebook, Casa Joco or through email jocotepeccasa.joco@gmail.com $500 pesos each day or $800 pesos for both

JOCOFEST BIKER DAY

Day: May 15

Motorcycle event

Place: Starting at the main square of Jocotepec, continues to the lookout point and ends at the malecon 

Schedule: Starting at 10 am 

Course “Literature of Mexican Women Writers” 

Day: April 28, May 5, 12, 19 and 26

Virtual literary course taught by Charlotte Carranza

Place: Virtual course Information: 331-273-1110

Schedule: 6 to 8 pm

Vaccination day for dogs and cats

Place: Centro de Salud Chapala, Flavio Romero de Velazco #406, Centro

Danvet Veterinary Clinic, Francisco I Madero #699, local 22, Chapala

During the next few days, the Municipal Government through its Directorate of Ecology in collaboration with the Secretary of Health Jalisco, will carry out an anti-rabies vaccination day in Chapala and its delegations

Schedule: 9 am – 3 pm 

Free

1st International Theater Festival of Jocotepec 2022

Day: April 27 to May 31

Information at Casa de Cultura “José Vaca Flores”

Location: Hidalgo Sur #38, Jocotepec, downtown Telephone: 387 763 1621

Free

Translated by Mike Rogers

A scene from the event in 2018. Photo: Youtube.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- The mothers of Ajijic were celebrated at a traditional event held on Sunday, May 8, at the Lienzo Charro de Ajijic. 

The event was organized by the Ajijic Charros Association with the support of the municipal government.

The celebration began in the afternoon. Women and children under 12 were admitted without charge. Men and older children paid an entrance fee of 50 pesos.

Entrance fees went towards paying for prizes for mothers who took part in dance contests and various other competitions.

Translated by Alan Ferguson

By: Patrick O’Heffernan

Back in November 2021, our reporter in Jocotepec, Héctor Ruiz Mejía,  wrote a story about the trash problem in San Juan Cosalá. He described garbage trucks with no gas, rats invading homes, a school with   weeks’ worth of garbage stacked in front of its gates, and more.

Part of the problem is the refusal of Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos to allow Jocotepec to continue dumping in the GEN landfill, a problem which the municipality is working on.  But something else has come to my attention:  the deterioration of the Carretera into the landfill that Jocotepec sorely needs.

If you drive from Ajijic to Joco and pass through the happy gauntlet of touts directing your attention to the seafood restaurants that line the lakefront, you won’t notice  the piles of garbage lining the highway across from the eateries.  In fact, one restaurant even has a large billboard announcing its presence astride a growing pile of garbage and debris.

Garbage, construction debris, junk, and old furniture now l fill open areas of the roadside of  the Carretera practically from the county line to Jocotepec. Garbage trucks have nowhere to put what they collect . But people have to put it somewhere and the roadside is the easiest and most available place.   

Trash on the Carretera in restaraunt row

But do you really want to take your out of town visitors to any of the great restaurants along the lake when you have to drive through a smelly field of trash?  Maybe not – after all there are so many great restaurants in both Chapala and Jocotepec on clean, trash-free streets. Some even have great lake views.

To be fair, you can’t blame the Jocotepec municipality  for the problem of the lack of a landfill  and you have to cheer them for trying to solve it.  The Carretera  – Highway 23 – is Federal property; neither the state nor the municipalities have the authority nor the  funds to clean it. And it is not fair to ask businesses along the Carretera to clean up the piles every day;  that is what they pay taxes for. And where would they put it?

Perhaps the solution lies in the kind of collaboration and citizen action we have seen in Ajijic and Chapala.  Until Jocotepec acquires a landfill, Expats and Mexican citizens and local  businesses can raise funds, purchase a dedicated garbage truck, lease a piece of land, fence it and clean up the highway until Jocotepec has the funds and  a landfill.

Yes, the  Carretera Federal is managed by the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, SCT) and it is the Federal government’s responsibility. But let’s face it, the garbage would completely block the highway before the SCT got around cleaning the roadside. 

 In Chapala, expats have purchased fire trucks for the Bomberos.  Why not a garbage truck for the Jocotepec Carretera?  In Ajijic, the delegado has organized citizens to fill potholes; why not similar brigadistas in Joco to load trash from the roadside into the  truck and haul it to a properly fenced and managed leased site.

This is a temporary solution to be sure, but the investment and the collaboration will last a long time and give the Jocotepec government and people an opportunity to show how well they care for their community . And might even pay for itself in increased business to the lakeshore restaurants.

Erika Navarro and the Ajijic Potranquita team ready to perform. Photo:  Patrick O’Heffernan

Patrick O’Heffernan and Sophia Medeles (Ajijic).- The Encuentro Nacional Caballito de Palo was held successfully in the Lienzo (bullring) in Ajijic last Saturday to a cheering crowd from around the country.  The Encuentro is a demonstration of the skills of girls 4-11 riding stick horses in precision drills as part of training for the Escaramuza women’s event in the Charreadas, the  Mexican rodeos.

No prizes were given out to the teams from different states but the head of the Ajijic team received a proposal for marriage in the Lienzo field, which she accepted, along with an engagement ring.

Drill team from San Pedro at the Ajijic Lienzo. Photo: Patrick O’Heffernan

Teams rode their “palos” – stick ponies – in “skirmishes” consisting of circling, riding to rapid stops, and executing drill team movements. Saturday’s event was a demonstration, not a competition. The teams pay a registration fee, present their routines in the skirmishes and  receive a certificate of recognition and a dinner.

Erika Navarro, as a guest, with Mrs. Amparo Robledo,  coaches the Ajijic team, told Laguna that this is the 7th year that the Escaramuza Caballito de Palo national circuit  has been held, and  Saturday’s event was the opening  event of the circuit’s 2022 season.

Erika Navarro hugs her now-fiancé Betoo Pérez after accepting his proposal. Photo: Patrick O’Heffernan

The Caballito de Palo girls are in training to ride the Escaramuza which consists of 8 women riding sidesaddle in full costume executing complex, military-style drills, or “skirmishes”.  The sport is fast-paced and often dangerous.

Teams from 6 states attended, most bringing large, noisy cheering sections with them. Each team was dressed in their state’s  traditional Caballito de Palo costume and brought their stick horses with them. The Ajijic team was dressed in turquoise and included a young boy who accompanied the girls on some of the drills and the hat dance.

Erika Navarro and Beto Pérez show off her new engagement ring . Photo: Patrick O’Heffernan

Toward the end of the event, Ms. Navarro walked out to the field to meet one of the staff, her long-time boyfriend Beto Pérez , and was surprised when he dropped to his knees and proposed   marriage. After accepting, Navarro gave her now-fiancé a big hug and turned to the cheering crowd to show off the engagement ring he had just slipped on her finger.

The Circuito Nacional De Escaramuzas Caballito de Palo »is a national organization directed by Pamela Ángeles Sáenz.  Itzel González was in charge of the Ajijic event, together with the municipal government of Chapala, and the Asociación de Charros de Ajijic, which provided them with the facilities. The next event in the circuit will be in Acambay, State of Mexico, on June 16 and the Potranquitas – the Ajijic team plan to be there but needs to raise the funds for transportation.  To donate contact Erika Navarro through the Potranquitos FB page at  https://www.facebook.com/escaramuzacaballosdepalolaspotranquitas.ajijic

SIMAPA personnel repairing well number 4. Photo: Sofía Medeles 

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- At least half of the town of Ajijic was left without water for approximately one week, due to an electrical failure that caused the pump of well number 4, located in Villa Nova, to the west of the delegation, to break down.

Timoteo Aldana Pérez, head of the Municipal System of Potable Water and Sewage (SIMAPA) Ajijic,  stated that this was due to an electrical failure in the plant of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), which affected two pumps, one in Chapala and the one in Ajijic.

«The low voltage that was being sent shut down the two meter-tall, 125 horsepower pump at 7:00 am and we were notified at 11:00 at night. None of our nearby suppliers had a replacement , so we had to order it from  Monterrey, which is why the repair was delayed,» explained Aldana Pérez.

 Timoteo said this pump supplies at least half of Ajijic, from the neighborhood of Las Seis Esquinas, a part of El Tempisque and even the cemetery. Besides, being one of the largest pumps, it is used to send water to other parts of town when they need it, a process called “rebombing”.

The people in the affected areas complained about the lack of water, since it took them by surprise. One interviewee, named Sara, expressed her desperation during the last few days of drought, as the water in her tinaco ran out: «They can’t keep us like this for so long. Water is vital, and it is a service we pay for. Besides, they didn’t  tell us about the water supplies they were handing out. Very poorly planned.

Areas such as La Canacinta, La Cristina or Alceseca were also affected, because not everyone has a water tank at home, as is the case of José: «We have a water tank, but the water there is different from the tap water. The tap water, we put it in drums and water tanks, and that is what we usually use.  The water from the cistern is not dirty, but it has  some fish so we use it for other things. But this time we had to use it because there was no water for a long time. It did affect us, because our reserve is less than half full.

Water pipe supplying water in the western zone of Ajijic. Photo: Sofía Medeles

Regarding the water supplies, several citizens commented on SIMAPA’s bad communication, because they were never notified that the trucks would be going to the homes, nor on what days and at what times, or that they were free of charge.

«They only asked if we wanted water, but never said anything else, we did not know it was free, and some neighbors were not there. Supposedly it was delivered in two days, but we only heard about one,» commented Luis, who lives near the cemetery area.

Timoteo Aldana said that he hopes that people will become aware of the care and responsible use of water, because times have changed and it is not only the growth of the town, but also several other factors that lower the levels of the wells.

«The water is enough for Ajijic, but we must always take care of the levels of the wells. In some of them, the water is only enough to cover their area, something that did not happen before. We also have to be aware of the water levels, because the lower they are, the more heavy metals and impurities are concentrated, which make them unsuitable for drinking water. In these times, we have to use it for the most essential things, leaving aside gardens, swimming pools, etc.».

He assured that he is looking for strategies to regulate the use, especially in times of low water, and to make a more equitable distribution of the water  for the town. Finally, he asked the inhabitants for prudence to avoid reaching an irreversible point, and pay their bills on time as SIMAPA has the   tools for its work.

Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan

Bulldozer working on the mountainside (just visible slightly above center of photo). Photo: Ajijic Citizen Observatory.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- The internet  has been  abuzz with reports  that  heavy machinery has been working near the iconic Cerro Colorado  mountain,  west of Ajijic.

The group Ajijic Observatorio Ciudadano published reports and a photo of a bulldozer visible at the scene. In the comments section of their post the group specified that the construction site is located between Cerro Colorado and Cerro Las Tres Cañadas, or behind Cerro Colorado.

Chapala  Director of Social Communication Elizabeth Oropeza Silva said the government was aware of the situation. When inspectors showed up at the site, they were shown construction licenses approved during the last administration.

«The permits granted during the past administration were reviewed and found to be in order, although there are things that appear to be out of place. We are working to review and analyze if there are any inconsistencies,» said Elizabeth Oropeza Silva.

Both on the internet and among residents, there is a lot of talk about the project.  Conversations center around the identities of several presumed owners of the property, their intentions, and  involvement of the Indigenous Community of Ajijic.

Two officials stated in the publication that uncovered the project that the Department of Ecology, among other agencies, is investigating the case.

Elizabeth Oropeza Silva added that they are still investigating, and that from what they have perceived, the space where they are working looks very large.

The Cerro Colorado is very dear to the people of Ajijitecos, as it is a site that is home to legends, and is part of the town’s history and popular culture. It is also recognized by visitors because of its peculiar shape, which resembles the head and wing of a bird of prey. 

Residents of Ajijic interviewed by Laguna said that the hill has already been threatened by urbanization on other  occasions,  and is at risk of subdivision for homes  as it is owned by several private individuals.

Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan