Localidades

The drainage pipe was renovated in a section of Galeana Street. Photo: Alma Serrano

Alma Serrano (San Juan Cosalá).- On May 16, the Jocotepec City Hall started renovation work of the water and sewer networks on Galeana Street in San Juan Cosalá. 

The work will be carried out in two phases. First, the replacement of the drainage pipes, which is currently being worked on between Zaragoza and 5 de Mayo streets. Then later, the renovation of the water infrastructure.

The rest of the pipeline on Galeana Street is awaiting approval . Photo: Alma Serrano.

Residents of Galeana Street said the pipe was laid by Father Adalberto Macías Llamas’ workers more than 30 years ago. It has exceeded its useful life, causing sewage spills. 

Samuel Tolentino, former manager and operator of the drinking water system, said the Zaragoza water well pump has been pumping sand and was thought to be a water management problem. However, it was due to the large amount of sand contained in the pipe which impeded its flow and pressure. In addition, there are holes caused by deterioration over the years. 

Carlos Vázquez Reyes, the delegate of San Juan Cosalá, collected signatures to obtain approval from the Government of Jocotepec to change all the pipes in the street.  

The first phase to repair the drainage pipe has been authorized. The second phase for the repair of the rest of the water infrastructure is awaiting approval.

Juan Ibarra, the person in charge of the work, said that a pipe larger than three inches is required for optimal functioning. The current pipe measures only two inches. 

For the neighbors who live on this street, this work is urgent due to the deficient water service they receive due to the poor infrastructure conditions. They were grateful for the intervention of the authorities. 

“It is a good thing that they are taking action on the matter so that we don’t have to struggle so much. The water is used every day and in great quantity,” said Mrs. Mary, 63 years old. 

Translated by Mary Woods

(From left to right) Araceli Kopiloff, Katja Kohl, creators of Negocios Mágicos Ajijic, and Maximiliano Macías Arceo, the person in charge of the project. Photo: Max Macías Arceo.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- Two designers and residents  of Ajijic, decided to start a project to support small businesses in Ajijic to improve their image and enhance the image of Ajijic, the  Pueblo Mágico.

Acting Delegado Maximiliano Macías Arceo said that the creators of the initiative «Negocios Mágicos Ajijic», Araceli Kopiloff and Katja Kohl,   pitched him on the project, which he gladly accepted , since it  will support  small businesses  on Ajijic.

This project consists of renovating the image of the businesses by giving them a more colorful and eye-catching look  at  the minimum possible cost. The  taqueria «El Paisa» on the highway in West Ajijic will be the project’s  first “makeover”. The remodeling will begin on June 1st and will reopen on June 3rd in the evening. 

Katja Kohl said  that they are looking to show locals that  great design is within everyone’s reach, and that one of their main objectives is that Ajijic has striking visual characteristics, through its businesses.

Araceli said that her goal would be to improve at least 10 businesses per year, and that she is grateful for Max’s support, and hopes that the initiative will reach the president of Chapala, so that the municipal government will support it.

Both commented that they will soon open another call for applicants, so that businesses can apply for their support. Updates will be available through the Facebook page «Negocios Mágicos Ajijic».

Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan

Work began a couple of months ago. Photo: Jazmín Stengel.

Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).- The lobby of Chapala’s City Hall has been under restoration for two months, and the work is expected to be finished in another week, according to the Department of Social Communication.

To carry out the restoration and maintenance project, the masonry was demolished, repaired, and repainted. The windows and ironwork were replaced with new and safer ones and the central chandelier was cleaned. 

The cost of the restoration and maintenance of the City Hall building since October 2021 under this administration is not known.

Translated by Nita Rudy

First International Theater Festival of Jocotepec 2022

When: April 27 to May 31

Information: Casa de Cultura «José Vaca Flores»

Location: Hidalgo Sur #38, Jocotepec, Centro 

Information: 387 763-1621

“Where there is music there can be no bad thing” Book presentation

When: Saturday, May 28 7:00pm 

Place: Restaurant Beer Garden, private Francisco I. Madero 200A, Chapala Centro

Benefit for Jonathan Márquez

When: Saturday, May 28 7:00pm

Sale of Mexican snacks, drinks, raffles, brincolin and more. Pozole to go from 1:30pm

Place: Flores Magón #31, La Ladrillera, Ajijic

Rezzonante 

When: Sunday, May 29 12:30pm

Voice, piano and saxophone concert

Place: González Gallo Cultural Center, Av. González Gallo 1500, Chapala. 

Admission: Free

Diploma in massage techniques

When: Thursday, June 2 3:00pm to 7:00pm 

Classroom course taught by Idalia Venegas. It will include massage theory, basic techniques, hot stone massage, modeling massage, and spa wraps, among other techniques.

Cost: Per class $499, registration $1,350

Location: Hotel Sol y Luna, Rio Bravo #10A, Ajijic

Information: 333 952-5562 / 331 723-9678

Musical presentation, Mr. Q

When: Thursday, June 2, 5:00pm 

Classic Rock Concert.

Place: 4to Sentido, Carretera Chapala – Ajijic 89, top floor, Plaza Paradise Center, San Antonio

From the Roots: La Tierra

When: Saturday, June 4, 6:00pm to 8:00pm 

Art exhibition with cocktails and live music

Place: Sol y Luna Gallery, Rio Bravo #10A, Ajijic

Meeting of harps, psalteries and more

Day: Wednesday, June 8, 1:00pm  

Nematatlin musical group

Place: González Gallo Cultural Center, Av. González Gallo 1500, Chapala

Stone Soup

When: Tuesday, June 14, 8:30pm 

Fusion rock event

Place: San Antonio Tlayacapan Square 

Translated by Paul Weeks

Pedestrian walkway on Colón street, in downtown Ajijic, invaded by cars. Photo: Sofía Medeles.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijc).- Although authorities have ot been policing the pedestrian walkway on Colon and removing parked cards, signs and other illegal obstructions, they plan to continue setting  it up every weekend, according to Acting Delegado Maximilano Macías Arceo.

itis common to see vehicles invading the road, as well as advertisements and even   bicycle racks outside businesses in the pedestrian walkway created by traffic cones on Colón Street, from Parroquia Street to the Malecón.

Macías Arceo commented that he is still waiting for orders from the municipal government of Chapala to improve the pedestrian walkway project, which is still being developed and will be  presented  to residents for their input before being carried out. However, in the meantime traffic officers are usually on the lookout for vehicles that are parked to report them, he said.

Not only vehicles, but also advertising obstructs pedestrian space. Photo: Sofía Medeles.

«The transit officers are usually doing their rounds and reporting parked cars. Although they are doing their job, people sometimes disrespect or ignore them,» he said

Maximiliano added that there is no explanation as to why they park on the walkway, since, in addition to the fact that the tourist flow is decreasing due to the season, the east side of the pier was recently  opened for parking. 

We interviewed some tourists of the Pueblo Mágico over the weekend and, although in comparison with the last survey carried out in February where several visitors assured that they did not know what the walkway was for, this time, most of them did know, although they doubted its functionality.

«Apparently it is for people to walk on it, but there are always cars parked. It gives the impression that they are charging to park. It would be a better choice to completely close this avenue to be a walkway,» said Julissa, who visited Ajijic from the city of Guadalajara.

Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan

Efrén González and Antonio Velazco in front of the museum, located at Privada Flores Magón #3. Foto: Sofía Medeles.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- the doors of the Ajijic Museum of Art (AMA) will open June 1st, 2nd and 3rd with three unveilings, a ribbon cutting, and three days of cultural activities,on Privada Flores Magón #3, in the west side of Ajijic.

The artist Efrén González, who is the main promoter of the project,said that June 1st, 2nd and 3r, will be for all the people of Ajijic and for visitors to be part of the celebration.The schedule for the three days will be from three in the afternoon to eight at night, and there will be musical presentations, folkloric dance shows, among other activities.

Efrén González in front of what will be the second wall of the dead. Photo: Sofía Medeles.

González said that after the inauguration, the museum will remain open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will have six rooms where different artists from the Chapala Rivera area will be exhibited, and the plan is to change the pieces exhibited at least four times a year. 

«With this project, we not only promote the preservation and exhibition of Ajijic’s art, but also support the people of the area, and expand the commerce and activities beyond Ajijic main square «, he said.

This first inauguration corresponds to the first stage of the museum project, while the second will be completed around December, according to Efrén González . The museum will also have an  area to buy souvenirs, and near the museum, on Flores Magón Street, a second wall of the dead will be located.

Translated  by Patrick O’Heffernan

 Chapala municipal workman installing new cages in new dog shelter in east Chapala. Photo: Chapala official  video

Patrick O’Heffernan (Ajijic).- SOS Chapala Dog Rescue announced on Facebook Monday, May 23, that it is closing its dog shelter in West Ajijic. The next day, May 24, The Chapala municipality announced via a Facebook video the construction of a new shelter for dogs in Hacienda La Labor in East Chapala.

If the new shelter is properly completed to handle up to 100 dogs, and the dogs from the SOS facility in West Ajijic are moved to it and then closes down, the Aguirre Administration will have solved a Gordian knot of technical and legal problems and competing interests handed to it by the previous administration. However, as of the close of this edition, a few questions remain unanswered.

The actions by both entities are the result of a year-long political and legal battle involving homeowners whose lives have been turned upside down by the noise from the SOS West Ajijic  shelter, SOS who took on management of the facility in good faith for the municipality and invested large sums of money into it, the Chapala municipality, and the Jalisco State Pension Fund.

As Laguna reported  on May 13 of this year, a group of 20 Mexican and Expat homeowners  and representatives of several Homeowners Associations in West Ajijic filed a lawsuit against the SOS Chapala Dog Rescue organization, the Chapala government, and the Jalisco State Employees’ Pension Fund over the dog shelter established by the previous municipal administration near their homes. 

SOS operates the shelter under an agreement with the previous administration, which established it on land originally donated to the municipality for a graveyard. However, after SOS took over the Department of Ecology’s flailing operation, invested $800,000 pesos and turned it into a shelter noted in the industry for its high standards (but condemned by its neighbors for noise), the previous administration transferred the land to the Jalisco state Pension Fund to pay a debt to the Fund. SOS was not informed of the transfer and the Fund was not informed of the existence of a shelter on its property… essentially dumping the problem in the lap of the State and SOS before it left office.

The original shelter established and operated by the Moisés Anaya Administration was built without consulting the surrounding homeowners who found themselves suddenly inundated with the loud barking of dozens of dogs 24/7. Months of negotiation to solve the barking at the shelter  went nowhere so the homeowners sued. In a copy of the lawsuit obtained by Laguna, the plaintiffs charge that the dog shelter was illegally established by the Anaya Administration on land zoned for housing only, and that the agreement between the Anaya Administration and  SOS Chapala Dog Rescue was  invalid.  The lawsuit requests that the court orders administrative action be taken to move the shelter to a site zoned for the correct use.

The new administration reopened negotiations, found a useable site, and obtained a commitment from the homeowners to pay the lease fees – $15,000 pesos per moth – and, according to a photo provided to Laguna by the homeowners, signed a  lease on May 2 with Señor Trinidad in Hacienda la Labor for a former horse facility.

“The lease is for a 11,000 sq meter space with electricity and water and everything they need.  It  is a  dog paradise, Linda Freeman, a spokesperson for the homeowners told Laguna, adding that,  “  it’s $15,000 pesos a month but the homeowners agreed to pay for 2 months in advance and   (all rent) for two years. The  owner has been given $30k.by the municipality, but we paid for it through a donation to the municipality. As a group we will continue to support the municipality”  Freeman. They are acting in good faith.”

Jesús González pointed out the new construction at the dog shelter to Chapala President Aguirre. The concrete pad for new cages is in the background. Photo: Chapala official video

Sue Hollis of SOS sys not so fast; the site  is not properly prepared and the lease is too short for serious investment.

Questions about the site remain unanswered, as well as who will manage the new shelter, but the government is not asking for any investment for SOS, according to the homeowners. 

I know for a fact that the government did not expect SOS to pay one cent for either the lease or for construction of new facilities,” Nita Rudy, President of the Puerta Arroyo Homeowners Association, told Laguna.

As to the site, Hollis pointed to issues with the facility in terms of design and construction.

“They (the municipality) are not building new cages, just dividing the existing stalls, which have  to be fumigated for ticks before dogs can use them, plus they have to have drainage for the needed daily washdowns. And outside of the stalls they want to put dog runs in the corral, which is not acceptable because many dogs in one run will get into fights, especially during  fireworks,” Hollis told Laguna in a telephone interview.

Hollis said that she (SOS) refuses to put money into a new property with only a two year lease and that the rent after that is much too high for the group.

“We cannot afford this and it is not an appropriate site. We were quite willing to move, but it has to be the right property under the right conditions,” she told Laguna.

However, Nita Rudy told Laguna that in a meeting with Mr. Trinidad and representatives of the municipality, he indicated he would be willing to extend the lease and perhaps even sell the land. 

It is currently unclear if the site under construction by the municipality will meet these  requirements. It is also unclear where the monthly rent will come from beyond the funds provided by the homeowners group for the two years of the lease. The group has paid  $30,000 pesos for first and last month’s rent and committed to pay the monthly rent for the duration  of the lease, if the dogs are removed from the West Ajijic site. But as to who will make the payments after two years is still up in the air.  Laguna has reached out to the Chapala government with these questions but at press time has not received a response.

However, as far as the facilities are concerned, the video released by the municipality not only shows the horse stalls being divided into cages, but additional cages being constructed on concrete pads installed by Jesus González of the Department of Ecology. In the video, Jesus tells President Aguirre that the facility is 60% complete and in 8 – 10 days will have 50 completed cages. The video does not reveal the sanitation system for daily cage cleaning or the septic system for handling the daily waste of 100 or more dogs. Laguna has requested these details from the Administration.

The controversy seems to be coming to a head. The Jalisco State Employees Pension Fund has ordered SOS to leave its site and SOS is closing it down. The Municipality  has leased and is nearing completion of a new shelter in East Chapala and claims it can begin to take dogs very soon. The homeowners have paid $30,000 pesos to the landowner and agreed to pay the rent for 2 years, but only if the dogs and the cages in SOS shelter are removed. Secretary General of  the Council Lilia Alvado Macías  informed the homeowners that the SOS dog shelter lawyer had seen the site and agreed to it,” allowing the dogs to be moved and SOS to manage it.

The only questions that remain are: will the new shelter meet the standards SOS requires to manage it,  will the owner extend the lease after two years so the municipality and the site manager will not be scrambling  for another site, and can funding be found or guaranteed to meet the rent payments after the lease is up and a new administration takes over.

 The first question may be answered if SOS closes the facility and adopts out or fosters the dogs, rather than send them to the new shelter and manage for the municipality. The second question may take two years to answer and will be handed to the next administration. The third question could come down to the ability of any operation at the new site to pay for itself either through adoption fees, municipal funds, or donations.

In the meantime, anyone looking to adopt or foster a  dog, should contact SOS Chapala Dog rescue through its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/soschapaladogrescue

Jesús María Higuera Hernández «Katuza» in his temazcal (sweat lodge). He passed away last Sunday at the age of 68. Photo: Facebook.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- «Katuza», one of the most iconic characters of Ajijic passed away last Sunday, May 22 at the age of 68, leaving an artistic and spiritual legacy in  Ajijic..

«Katuza» was the local name by which Jesús María Híguera Hernández was known since he was young. He was born on March 1, 1954 to a family from Ajijic. He studied in both Ajijic and Chapala, graduating as an accountant in the municipal capital, in the school known as «la academia de las monjas» (the nuns’ academy).

He never practiced his profession. He had a restaurant in Canada and later returned to México to begin his career as an artist, sculptor and shaman, being his marakame name – people who heal with traditional Huichol methods of the region,  Cehuia Ilhuiac Marakame.

His relatives and acquaintances described him as a sincere man who said things as he thought them and disliked people who acted hypocritically, and as very spiritual and ahead of his time. «He spoke as he was told,» said one of his sisters.

He died last Sunday, May 22, of a heart attack. In the next edition of Semanario Laguna, we will publish his complete profile, his history, and his work in the town of Ajijic.

Translate by Patrick O’Heffernan

Letras monumentales en el municipio de Tuxcueca. Foto: Cortesía.

Redacción.- Tres hombres fueron localizados sin vida en el interior de un pozo artesanal en el municipio de Tuxcueca el domingo 29 de mayo, por lo que la Fiscalía del Estado de Jalisco ya realiza investigaciones.

El hallazgo se dio sobre la carretera federal Tuxcueca a San Luis Soyotlán a medio kilómetro del panteón municipal gracias a una denuncia anónima que fue recibida en la cabina de la Policía Municipal.

Personal del Ministerio Público y la Policía Investigadora corroboraron el hecho y Protección Civil acudió al lugar para la extracción de los cuerpos, ya que el pozo cuenta con una profundidad de entre los 10 y 15 metros.

Los cuerpos rescatados se encontraban armados, contaban con impacto de bala en el cráneo y fueron puestos a disposición de elementos del Instituto Jalisciense de Ciencias Forenses según el comunicado emitido por la Fiscalía.

El sospechoso fue capturado en la zona centro de la cabecera municipal. Foto: ilustrativa: Internet.

Redacción.- Por privación ilegal de la libertad de un hombre y el robo del camión de carga que conducía, la Fiscalía Especial Regional llevó a la captura de Miguel Ángel M. que se encuentra identificado como probable partícipe de este delito.

Dicho sujeto, en compañía de otros individuos, presuntamente interceptaron al chofer de un tracto camión marca International, modelo 2016, sobre el macro libramiento, a la altura del kilómetro 29, en Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, para robarle la mercancía que portaba, esto sucedió el pasado 15 de mayo.

La denuncia permitió al Ministerio Público realizar la investigación mediante la que se obtuvo una orden de aprehensión contra el señalado quien fue capturado por elementos de la Policía Investigadora destacados en el Distrito V, en la zona centro del referido municipio.

Miguel Ángel M. ya se encuentra a disposición del Juez Especializado en Control, Enjuiciamiento, Justicia Integral para Adolescentes y Ejecución Penal del Quinto Distrito Judicial con sede en Chapala.

“La persona mencionada se le presume inocente y será tratada como tal en todas las etapas del procedimiento, mientras no se declare su responsabilidad mediante sentencia emitida por el Órgano Jurisdiccional”, informó en un comunicado la Fiscalía.