Ajijic

 Vehicle involved in the crash.

A crash between two private vehicles and a patrol car during the early morning of January 30, on the Chapala Jocotepec highway near Tobolandia left two people injured and the total loss of one vehicle. 

One of the vehicles involved was a State Police patrol car with the number JR-90788 containing four officers, one of whom suffered minor injuries. The patrol car suffered damage to the rear.

A 40 year-old resident of Ajijic was driving another of the vehicles, a sand-colored Ford Ranger, which suffered damage to the front and left side of the vehicle.

The third vehicle was a pick-up truck driven by a 50 year-old Expat who resides in Las Redes. He was pinned and had to be rescued using a hydraulic tool. A video shows the man admitting that he was the cause of the accident, as he entered the road with his lights off. 

Translated by Sydney Metrick

Lake Chapala. Photo: Arturo Ortega.

Editor.– Did you celebrate Lake Chapala Day this year? Chances are you did not, since despite being established by official state decree in 2014, the initiative has largely been forgotten. Jalisco’s Lake Chapala Day is supposed to be commemorated on February 2 each year, but the authorities at both the municipal and state levels appear to have forgotten it, and so the day passed unobserved by both lakeside municipalities and their inhabitants. 

Originally, promoters of Lake Chapala Day sought to highlight the importance of the lake both for lakeside inhabitants and the state. They also intended it to bring attention to the need to protect and conserve the lake for the future. 

«It is the obligation of the municipalities, in coordination with the Executive Branch, to celebrate the State Lake Chapala Day through activities that promote awareness of, and appreciation for, the importance of the area. This to be achieved through festivities and strategies that engage and educate the public,» states the ignored decree.  

February 2 was selected to commemorate Lake Chapala Day as it was on this day in 2009 that Lake Chapala won designation as a Wetlands of International Importance, or Ramsar site. The goal of the Ramsar convention was to promote the preservation and sustainable use of essential wetlands around the globe.

 The state initiative was presented by Jesús Palos Vaca, the local deputy of the 17th district and member of the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM) and resident of Jocotepec. The decree was published in the Official Newspaper of the State of Jalisco in December 2014. 

Translated by Rebecca Zittle

Bags seized from the suspect.

Editor (Chapala).- A man was arrested in Ajijic after 14 doses of the drug known as «crystal» were found on him. The person was detained by the State Security Secretariat (SSE) on the Guadalajara Chapala highway.

State police officers driving along the Chapala-Jocotepec highway received a report of a bicyclist who was allegedly selling drugs.

The officers quickly identified a man who fit the description. As the police car passed the bicyclist he tried to evade them.   22 year old Josué «N» was arrested when the police found 14 small bags of the drug known as «crystal.”

Translated by Nita Rudy

Lake Chapala. Photo: Arturo Ortega.

Commemoration of the State Day of Lake Chapala on February 2 went unnoticed by the community’s residents  this year. Despite being an official decree since 2014, authorities at both the municipal and state levels of government appear to have abandoned the State Day of Lake Chapala.

Originally, the State Day sought to highlight the importance of the lake for the residents of Lakeside and of Jalisco, as well as constituting another layer of  protection and conservation for the Lake.

«It is the obligation of the municipalities, in coordination with the Executive Branch of the entity, to celebrate the State Day of Lake Chapala through activities that enrich the knowledge, awareness of the protection and importance of the place through strategies, mechanism and actions necessary to bring to fruition the festivities of that day,» states the 2014 decree.

The law was presented by the local deputy of the 17th district, Jesús Palos Vaca of the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM) and neighbor of Jocotepec. The initiative was published in the Official Newspaper of the State of Jalisco in December 2014. 

This State Day was enacted when Lake Chapala and its 114,659 hectares was named as a Ramsar Site on February 2, 2009, joining a list of wetlands of international importance under UNESCO’s Convention on Wetlands.

Translated by MaryAnne Marble

Niños Héroes street drainage system. Their problem of constant spills has been going on for more than a year

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).– For more than a year leaking sewage drains on Flores Magón, Francisco Villa and Niños Héroes streets in Ajijic have caused problems. The person in charge of the Municipal System of Potable Water and Sewage (SIMAPA) Ajijic, Timoteo Aldana Pérez, explained that this problem is due to a six-year lack of maintenance in the system of drainage collectors.

«The drains, the collectors, and the pipes have to receive maintenance at least once a year. Also, like anything else, they have a lifespan, so at some point they must be changed,» he shared. 

Aldana said that there are two factors that cause sewage to accumulate and overflow.  Waste that should not be thrown into the drain, such as sanitary napkins, clothes, bricks, and pieces of mattress. When pipes collapse, soil seeps into the drain and blocks the pipe. He has checked the state of the pipes from Flores Magón to Niños Héroes and plans to use a truck with a pressure pumping system, called a Vactor. He will also use a roto-probe to remove the debris plugs where necessary and to repair the collapsed pipes where needed.

«We have been aware of the problem since the first week we assumed office. Repairs have not been possible because the lake level was too high to intervene.  If we had tried, the water would have seeped into the drains causing them to collapse.  We could do it now, but the Vactor is broken. We hope that we will be able to start on Monday,» added Aldana.

Manhole on Flores Magón Street. What appears to be debris, is dry sewage

He also asserted that it is a complicated job that can take at least three days for cleanup alone and require 10 to 15 workers. It is a continuous job “making it more complicated.” Neither the showers nor the toilets can be stopped. Every day would require at least five hours.» 

«It is disgusting and even a source of infection.,” complained  one of the neighbors on Flores Magón Street., adding that, “the seepage has not stopped for a long time. In this drain even the sewage has dried up. That mud around the drain, it’s waste and filth. We’ve even lost hope that they can fix it, after they almost destroyed it with the work on the choked pavement, and they just left it there.» 

Aldana said that it is not only embarrassing, but it is also not good for health. «The system was made for another time, for another capacity, and now it is difficult to make any repairs, because much of the collector is under the seawall. Hopefully it will not be required soon, but if maintenance is not provided, it could collapse at any moment,» he concluded.

Translated by Nita Rudy

Sand and stone on the bridge in the Alceseca area obstruct the stream channel.

Sofía Medeles.- Several streams from La Canacinta to La Cristina in west Ajijic are still clogged with debris as a result of the landslides that occurred in October 2021.

When Semanario Laguna toured the  area recently, it was observed that there  are still boulders and debris, covered with earth blocking drainage channels and streets after the landslide.

In La Cristina, the creek bridge is filled with large stones.

Neighbors in the area said that they fear the obstructions could cause future flooding that could affect the houses closest to the watercourses.María, a resident who lives a few houses away from the creek that runs through La Canacinta was worried.

«Apart from the fact that the creek has been narrowed, it has not even been cleaned, on the south side of the road, it is very even, so, if several heavy rains fall, it could overflow. On the upper part of the road, it is not even a meter and a half wide for the water to flow. If the water flows strongly, it will move the debris, and God knows where it will end up, which could affect the people on the street of La Canacinta,» she shared.

Another neighbor, José, commented that he is not only concerned about the blockage, but also about the dust generated by the traffic, which should be another important point to be considered by the authorities in order to resume and speed up the cleaning works. 

«With this disease that we are going through (Covid-19), it is unhealthy that we are breathing dust, because it weakens our lungs even more, and can put us in a delicate health situation,» she said.  

Likewise, Lourdes, who lives next to the La Canacinta stream, and has a property in La Cristina, close to another of the disaster points, expressed that, although it seems that the rainy season is still far away, public works like this are not a one-day project, so they should get down to work.

La Canacinta creek, outside the Los Alebrijes subdivision, has less than five feet of opening.

«It is not just one creek that is like this, there are many and several with serious clogging. It is of little use to clean only the parts on the south side of the highway, if there is no water flow under the bridges,» said Lourdes.

Maximiliano Macías Arceo, the Ajijic acting delegate i, commented that some of the streams have already been widened, however, they are still in the process of getting permit approval so they can move in the machinery that will be necessary to clear the waterways in the town, especially in the western part of the delegation.

The director of Social Communication, Elizabeth Oropeza Silva, commented that since November, they have been pushing the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) to provide them with the appropriate machinery to carry out the clearing of the ditches, which she claimed, need to do the maintenance from the road to the foot of the hill.

Translated by Maryanne Marble

Branch debris being removed by students of the Irene Robledo school. Photo: Fredi Díaz.

Sofia Medeles.- After two branches fell because of the lack of maintenance on dry trees, workers of the Ajijic delegation finally pruned the trees, as they posed a risk to students and staff of the Francisco Márquez/Irene Robledo school.

The fallen branch from one of the trees on January 3 was the second incident of this type. The principal of the afternoon shift, Fredi Díaz, commented that for approximately four years he has been requesting the help of several municipal authorities to prune the trees that could represent a risk, without any response.

«This last time the branch fell, in the same area, I did not even bother contacting the Civil Protection, or any other authority, since they previously did not give us support to remove it. It was better to ask for help from the parents and some students, and we did what we could,» said Díaz.

The person in charge of the office, Maximiliano Macías Arceo, together with the delegation staff, decided to take action and prune the dry tree that caused the incident, as well as some others that presented a risk.

«The danger from this tree has been removed, but we will continue to prune the others. We have also received reports of a dry guava tree, several ficus trees that need maintenance, as well as pruning of the large trees, which can represent a great risk. In the next few weeks we will continue with this work,» said Macías Arceo.

Personnel from the delegation of Ajijic, trimming the trees at the elementary school.

For his part, the principal of the elementary school commented that he hopes that they really will continue with the work, since there are strong winds in the area that can affect the dry or older trees, causing accidents.

A similar accident occurred on August 19, 2021, when a eucalyptus tree, which was dry, fell into the facilities from outside the property, causing damage to the cyclone mesh. 

This fact was ignored by the authorities at the time. Civil Protection, Fire Department and Parks and Gardens were contacted to ask for help, but no response was received from any of them.

After the event, at least two official letters were sent to the delegation to request help, and it was not until recently that they were given any attention.

Translated by Colleen Beery

Ajijic is a Pueblo Mágico not only because of its traditions, but also its urban art, like this sculpture of Tlaloc (the god of rain) by the artist Antonio López Vega, located in the Ajijic plaza. 

Sofía Medeles – According to Pilar Posada, regional delegate of the Chapala Lakeside, the state government will make the distribution in March  of the 15 million pesos budgeted for the Pueblos Mágicos or Magic Towns of Jalisco, among them Ajijic. 

Posada said that although the budget is already established, funds  will not arrive until approximately March, due to changes in the administration of the Ministry of Tourism of the State of Jalisco, as well as changes in the rules of operation of the program. The Magic Town program stopped receiving Federal Funding in 2019.

Elizabeth Oropeza Silva, Social Communication Director of the Municipality of Chapala, commented that neither the direction of Tourism nor the Treasury have received notification about the budget that would be designated to Ajijic by the state government. 

Last year, the budget given by the state government to the Magic Towns was divided in equal parts, allocating 1,333,000 pesos to each of the nine Magic Towns which are: Tapalpa, Mazamitla, Lagos de Moreno, Mascota, San Sebastián del Oeste, Talpa de Allende, Tequila, San Pedro Tlaquepaque and the most recent, Ajijic.

Translated by Sandy Britton

The structure that was intended to be a pérgola for the restaurant.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic, Jal). – On February 1 Ajijic residents reported an illegal gazebo that the Bonanza restaurant had just placed on public property on the Lakeshore, generating a quick response by the authorities who ordered it removed.

The complaint was generated by  a member of the group «Pueblos Unidos de la Ribera» and the activist of Ajijic, Sinuhé León, who publicized the placement of a wooden frame in front of the dock, a site known by the Ajijitecos as «la vieja posada» (the old inn) through social networks.

Sinuhé León also contacted the Ajijic town office manager, Maximiliano Macías Arceo, who quickly contacted the manager of the business, as well as the inspectors of the Regulations Department of Chapala, who resolved the complaint that same day, ordering the removal of the pérgola. 

Inspectors Julio César Sotelo Beltrán, Irving Cortés and Sergio Real arrived in the area and asked the restaurant administrators to immediately remove the wooden structure as well as to make modifications to the floor to leave some boxes for  the roots of each tree.

«Permission was not requested to place (the structure) and, in this case,  the natural flora also intervened because of the trees. Today it has to be removed», said Julio César, adding  that these types of irregularities are dealt with in coordination with other agencies such as Padrón y Licencias, Ecología, Obras Públicas and Desarrollo Urbano.

For her part, the owner of the restaurant, Laura Jiménez de Beltrán, said she did not intend to  gaining land in the Federal zone, so removing the gazebo did not bother or affect them and that,  because she understood the space in front of her restaurant, as well as those on one side, are for pedestrian passage, since it is considered a sidewalk.

«Our intention was not bad; on the contrary, with this business we stimulate local commerce, jobs for the residents and attracting tourists. We want to tell the people that we are not here to steal and that this part of this restaurant and the ones  nearby, is still a sidewalk, and if we get permits to put tables outside, everything will be with licenses and the passage will never be closed», commented the restaurateur. 

Likewise, Sotelo Beltrán, said that her work in the Federal spaces is done in conjunction with the municipal legal department, carrying out inspections and taking time to act in conjunction with the agencies that are responsible, in this case, the National Water Commission (CONAGUA).

The Acting Delegado, Maximiliano Macías, commented that it was a citizen’s complaint, which he appreciated, since he said that there are times when people do not realize the things that happen. He added that the manager of the business claimed to have no knowledge that the license was necessary, but did not put up any resistance when he received the orders from the regulations.

Translated Patrick O’Heffernan

La estructura que pretendía ser una pérgola para el restaurante.

Sofía Medeles.- Ante cualquier indicio de invasión en terreno federal, los habitantes de Ajijic están listos para actuar y denunciar a quienes incurran en este delito. 

Tal es el caso del restaurante Bonanza, luego de que intentaran colocar una pérgola a la orilla del lago y que no pasó a mayores, debido a la rápida respuesta por parte de los vigilantes y las autoridades.

Autoridades municipales retiraron la estructura el mismo día que se hizo la denuncia.

Los hechos transcurrieron el pasado primero de febrero, cuando un miembro del grupo “Pueblos Unidos de la Ribera” y activista de Ajijic, Sinuhé León, denunció por medio de redes sociales, la colocación de una armazón de madera frente al muelle, sitio conocido por los ajijitecos como “la vieja posada”.

El denunciante se puso en contacto con el encargado de despacho, Maximiliano Macías Arceo, quien rápidamente se comunicó con el encargado del negocio, así como con los inspectores del departamento de Reglamentos de Chapala, quienes resolvieron la denuncia ese mismo día, ordenando la remoción de la pérgola. 

A la zona arribaron los inspectores Julio César Sotelo Beltrán, Irving Cortés y Sergio Real, y solicitaron a los administradores del restaurante, remover inmediatamente la estructura de madera que se había colocado, así como hacer modificaciones al piso para dejar unos cajetes acordes a las raíces de cada árbol.

“No se pidió permiso de poner (la estructura) y, en este caso, ecología también intervino por la cuestión de los árboles. Este mismo día se tiene que remover”, aseveró Julio César, e informó que este tipo de irregularidades se atienden en conjunto con otras dependencias como Padrón y Licencias, Ecología, Obras Públicas y Desarrollo Urbano.

Por su parte, la dueña del restaurante, Laura Jiménez de Beltrán, expresó que no hay intención de ganar terreno en la zona federal, por lo que remover la pérgola no les molestó ni afectó y que, es de su conocimiento que el espacio frente a su restaurante, así como los que están a un costado, son para el paso de peatones, ya que es considerado como una banqueta.

“Nuestra intención no es mala, al contrario, con este negocio estimulamos el comercio local, trabajos para los habitantes y atracción del turismo. Queremos decir a la población que no venimos a robar y que esa parte de este restaurante y los que siguen, sigue siendo una banqueta, y si llegamos a sacar permisos para poner mesas afuera, todo será con licencias y nunca se cerrará el paso”, comentó la restaurantera. 

Asimismo, Sotelo Beltrán, aseguró que sus labores en los espacios federales son en conjunto con el jurídico municipal, realizando inspecciones y levantando actas, para actuar en conjunto con las dependencias que les competen, en este caso, la Comisión Nacional del Agua (CONAGUA).

El encargado de despacho, Maximiliano Macías, comentó que se trató de una denuncia ciudadana, la cual agradeció, ya que aseguró que hay veces que no se da cuenta de las cosas que pasan. Agregó que, el gerente del negocio decía no tener conocimiento de que la licencia era necesaria, pero no opuso resistencia al recibir las órdenes de reglamentos.