ARIES (March 21 – April 20)
Calmly meditate on your decisions so as not to make mistakes and review your expenses, which are somewhat out of control. Venus, the planet of love, enters your sign and your desires, love dreams and romances can begin to be fulfilled. Relationships with close and like-minded people can bring pleasant surprises into your life.
TAURUS (April 21 – May 20)
The Sun and its transformative energy can trigger changes in your life, making you stand out above the rest. The Sun, which is also in your sign, makes you feel very strong and powerful, so there will be no excuses if you set out to achieve something.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
You awaken the need to be alone to reflect on some decisions you must make and can then act wisely. Mercury transitioning through your sign offers you very positive days that have to do with money matters and your work. In the month of May you will have the protection of the Moon.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
The stars affect the issue of friends. Be careful, some of them may disappoint you, but you will have others to rely on. The planet Mars, very well aspected in your sign, contributes to you having a lot of strength, drive and energy. It is the time to implement the initiatives you have in mind because things can go very well. You will have magical days.
LEO (July 23 – August 23)
Although lunar energy can hinder some success that you thought you had at hand, you will solve the problems that arise and you will end up succeeding. Going unnoticed goes against your nature. Venus is very well aligned with you so you will shine with intensity. Some pleasant surprises will help you forget the bad moments of the past.
VIRGO (August 24 – September 23)
The Moon can make your professional life and communication difficult. However, you will be clear with your words to avoid misunderstandings that could harm you. Your daily affairs can become complicated, so pay special attention to what interests you to follow the course you want. If you want to ease tensions, you will have to make good relations and agree on changes.
LIBRA (September 24 – October 22)
Solar energy is very regenerative and can bring new airs to your life or a very positive change of direction. The good aspects you receive from the planet Mercury favor communication. Therefore, your best strategy to overcome difficulties is to try to talk and clarify things. You can have new experiences that take you away from the routine.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 22)
Do not let yourself get entangled in situations that you can not control or waste energy on issues that are not your responsibility to solve. The time has come to focus on you and to focus your efforts on what is really important to you. The Moon opposite your sign helps you to free yourself from an issue that is stressing you and puts a smile back on your face.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 – December 21)
The stars affect your work and can cause problems to resurface that you thought were already solved. Don’t give up because your efforts will soon bear fruit. In the following days you will have the planet Venus very well aspected and if something worries you about love it is a good time to solve it and regain your smile.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
Life can get complicated, but it will be only momentary. You are receiving very positive astral energy and something important that you long for is about to happen. Take the initiative and accept the challenges that life can bring because you will give the best of yourself and success will be yours. Show your feelings and let yourself be loved.
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 19)
The Moon affects the family environment and there may be some tension, but you will live happy moments and life will compensate you with more than enough. Look to the future with optimism because with the genius you have and your rebellious personality there will be no obstacle you can not overcome. You will find happiness by being supportive and altruistic. Avoid acting selfishly.
PISCES (February 20 – March 20)
Be cautious with your words and beware of misunderstandings, as the Moon affects communication and you may find it difficult to understand those around you. Fate offers you the opportunity to experience new situations, far from your comfort zone. Master your fears and take the plunge because you have the protection of Jupiter in your sign and what happens will be positive for you.
Translated by Mary Woods
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
The events took place in the Colinas de Chapala neighborhood in upper Chapala. Photo: Twitter.
Editorial staff.- Investigators probing the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl in Chapala were forced to call for help after they were confronted by armed men on Tuesday, May 3.
State police reinforcements went to the aid of the investigating team, which included personnel from the Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office and the Amber Alert team.
According to eyewitness accounts by residents of the Santa María neighborhood, at least one shot was fired, although state and municipal authorities said no firearms were discharged.
Three suspects were arrested at a house in the area.
A search of the house revealed firearms and bullet-proof vests bearing the initials of an organized crime group.
A bag containing narcotics and a motor vehicle were also seized.
Translated by Alan Ferguson
Pilgrims pray as they walk, a rosary in one hand. Photo: Hector Ruiz.
Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).- About 500 people, fewer than in past years, attended the traditional pilgrimage to the cross on the hill of the municipal seat of Jocotepec, on May 3.
The difficult trail ascends for more than 1.7 kilometers (about a mile) and takes an average time of one hour and 40 minutes.
Authorities from the Jocotepec Civil Protection and Fire Department, who were providing assistance for the walkers, said they counted approximately 500 people.
“In past years, we had groups of up to 100 people in a row,» one said, suggesting that the traditional event may be in decline.
As a result, the firefighters and paramedics in attendance had little to do.
Among the faithful who did take part was Gustavo, who said he had made the pilgrimage «his whole life” — asking Christ for help and thanking Him for what he has already.
“Every year I come here to pray . . . and to remember the importance of this tradition for our people,” he said.
Translated by Alan Ferguson
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
The return of the drought could affect the supply of drinking water to citizens. Photo: Archive.
Editors.- The Drought Monitor of the National Water Commission (Conagua), reported that Chapala and Jocotepec are among the 57 municipalities of Jalisco that face a «severe» drought level.
According to the agency’s update, 113 of Jalisco’s 125 municipalities have drought conditions ranging from «moderate» to «severe, which means that drought impacts are now felt throughout the state.
Together with the two Lakeside towns mentioned above, all the municipalities that make up the Guadalajara Metropolitan Zone (ZMG), as well as Colotlán, Mezquitic, Ameca, Tala, Lagos de Moreno and Tepatitlán, are the most affected by the situation.
The Conagua’s report detailed that during the last rainy season there was a lack of precipitation in the area of the Western Sierra Madre, as well as warmer than average temperatures in the West Central Region of the country, which contributed to an increase in the drought in Jalisco.
Twelve localities are classified as «abnormally dry» or without problems: Puerto Vallarta, Cabo Corrientes, Cihuatlán, Ayotlán, Cuautitlán de García Barragán, Degollado, Jesús María, Tolimán, Tonila, Tuxcacuesco, San Gabriel and Zapotitlán de Vadillo.
The National Meteorological Service noted that the hurricane season will begin on May 15 in the Pacific Ocean, while in the Atlantic Ocean it will begin on June 1. It is projected that rains will start to return to normal in the second half of June, with tropical waves, cyclones and high humidity.
Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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