Turismo

Vista del malecón de Ajijic y el lago de Chapala. Foto: D. Arturo Ortega.

Redacción.- Luego de las primeras lluvias registradas en la región lacustre del Lago de Chapala, sigue perdiendo nivel. Hasta la fecha, el lago más grande de México ha perdido 93 centímetros, lo que lo ubica al 63 por ciento de su capacidad. 

Del primero de enero al cuatro de mayo, el vaso lacustre pasó del 74.98 por ciento de su capacidad hasta el estado en que se encuentra en la actualidad, es decir, perdió casi 12 centímetros.

Jocofest Biker

Date: May 15

Motorcycle event

Location: Starting Jocotepec’s main plaza, continuing to the lookout point, and ending at the Jocotepec Boardwalk 

Time: Starting at 10:00am

Cost: Free 

Course «Literature of Mexican Women Writers». 

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

Virtual literary course, taught by Charlotte Carranza.

Location: Virtual course. For more information, call 33-1273-1110.

Time: 6:00-10:00pm

Vaccination for dogs and cats

During the next few days the Municipal Government through the Directorate of Ecology, in collaboration with the Secretary of Health Jalisco, will carry provide anti-rabies vaccinations day in Chapala and the other towns in the municipality

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

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

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 pm. 

Cost: Free 

With the soul of an infant

Date: May 14

Art Exhibition with cocktails

Location: Galería Sol y Luna, Río Bravo #10ª Ajijic
Time:

Cost. Free

Perspectives
Date: May 14

Plastic exhibition with cocktails

Location: House of Culture »José Vaca Flores,» Jocotepec
Time:

Cost: Free 

Avianto

Date: May 14
Inauguration of art exhibition

Location: González Gallo Cultural Center, Chapala
Time:
Cost: Free

Juan Carlos Arancibia

Date: May 15

Guitar concert

Location: González Gallo Cultural Center, Chapala
Time:
Cost: Free 

1st International Theater Festival of Jocotepec 2022

Date: April 27 to May 31

Information at Casa de Cultura «José Vaca Flores.» Call for more information: 38-7763-1621.

Location: Hidalgo Sur #38, Jocotepec, downtown

Time: 

Cost: Free 

The Whirlpool

Date: May 14

Book presentation with cocktails

Location: House of culture »José Vaca Flores,» Jocotepec

Time:

Cost: Free 

Translated by Amy Esperanto

Main square of the Magical Town of Ajijic. Photo: Sofía Medeles.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- Despite the publication of the guidelines of the Program for Support and Promotion of Magical Towns of the State of Jalisco,  the Chapala government has failed to make progress in any of the  projects required  to access the available funds.

Social communication Director Elizabeth Oropeza Silva informed the media that they have not yet entered the grant program nor have any proposal ready to gol; however, next week they will have a meeting with the Secretary of Tourism of Jalisco, Claudia Vanessa Pérez Lamas. 

The work will taken over by the municipal commission set up by Ajijic councilwoman Denisse Michelle Ibarra González, municipal trustee Gamaliel de Jesús Soto Pérez, and councilman Francisco Iván Gutiérrez Pérez.

The  Program for Support and Promotion of Magical Towns of the State of Jalisco was published on May 3, 2022,  in the Official Gazette of the State of Jalisco and stipulates the areas of strengthening announced by the governor. These are: understanding and improvement of traffic patterns and mobility, creation of the position of tourist agent and establishing the office, and improvement of the urban image and waste management.

The required projects will have to focus on these  elements to access Ajijic’s share of the 17 million pesos which are divided among the nine Magical Towns. The overall budget allocates 3.5 million to mobility research and projects, urban image and waste management research and improvement;  3 million to set up and staff  the tourist agent office;  9 million 790 thousand pesos for the improvement of the urban image;  and 210 thousand 100 pesos for the administrative costs of remaining in the program.

The review and subsequent approval of the projects will be managed by the Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of Tourism of the State of Jalisco, and the support may be given in cash or in kind.

Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan

The Philharmonic Orchestra of Jalisco began its season with a concert in Jocotepec. Photo: OFJ.

Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).- The Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (OFJ) performed for the first time in the municipality of Jocotepec.

Hundreds of citizens packed the temple of Señor del Monte to listen to the first concert of the orchestra’s tour outside the Metropolitan Zone of Guadalajara (ZMG).  With guest conductor Mariana Martinez, the orchestra will visit the 12 regions of Jalisco.

Noé Reynoso Hermosillo, Culture Director for the municipality, said that the 368 tickets distributed by City Hall for the recital were sold out, and additionally, there were people from other delegations or municipalities who attended.  A little less than 500 in total, due to the limited capacity of the venue. 

Full house at the temple of the Lord of the Mountain to listen to the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jalisco. Photo: Carlo Cuevas.

«Although this was a municipal event, was more of a regional event, because people came from Ocotlán, from Guadalajara, from Jamay, from La Manzanilla, even from Tizapán,» commented Reynoso Hermosillo.

«They should bring this type of event more often, I loved it, I loved seeing so many people enjoying real music, something other than Maluma,» commented one of the attendees to the musical.

Culture director Hermosillo was satisfied with the results of the orchestra’s first presentation in the municipality.  Previously the orchestra was reluctant to perform outside the ZMG as «it was very expensive.»

This was the first concert of the Jalisco Philharmonic in an «extensive» tour, said Noé Reynoso, which will tour the 12 regions of Jalisco as part of the strategy of decentralization of culture of the Ministry of Culture of Jalisco. 

Translated by Paul Weeks

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

Vista del lago de Chapala desde la orilla de la playa a un costado del muelle de Ajijic. Foto: Archivo. 

Redacción.- El gobernador del Estado de Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, descartó la construcción de un segundo acueducto para abastecer el Área Metropolitana de Guadalajara (AMG) durante su mandato.

Esta declaración la realizó luego de que académicos de la Universidad de Panamericana urgieran a las autoridades estatales a informarse sobre la necesidad de construir un nuevo acueducto que extraiga agua del Lago de Chapala.

El gobernador de Jalisco desestimó esta observación al declarar que no se le puede sacar más agua al lago más grande de México, por lo que el especialista en tecnologías del agua, Daniel Sánchez Tapetillo, replicó que el segundo acueducto tendría la función de sustituir al primero en caso de que éste fallara.

“El segundo acueducto no es para sacarle más agua al lago de la que ya tiene concesionada el Área Metropolitana de Guadalajara. Creer eso es un error. Tenemos una concesión de 236.5 Mm3/año, es decir, 7.5 m3/s. Nunca podrían operarse simultáneamente los dos acueductos”.

El especialista aseguró que, tras 30 años de antigüedad, el mantenimiento del primer acueducto resulta urgente, pues en caso de presentar una falla, el 60 por ciento del abastecimiento del agua se dejaría de suministrar, pues a su parecer la vida útil del actual sistema ya fue rebasada.  

Sánchez Tapetillo lamentó que el gobernador no escuche las propuestas de académicos de casas de estudio como la Universidad de Guadalajara (UdeG), la Universidad Panamericana (UP) o el Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) pues son instituciones que por años han revisado el tema y sus aportaciones son para que se pueda actuar a tiempo y prevenir que más del 60 por ciento de la ciudadanía se quede sin agua.

“Sorprende la desinformación del titular del gobierno de Jalisco sobre el tema. Lo que ya no es sorpresa, lamentablemente, es su nula apertura a los planteamientos y la crítica que se originan desde la academia, en instituciones como la U de G, el ITESO y ahora la UP, una pena”, concluyó.

Humberto Guillermo Ibarra, 57-year-old artist, posing next to one of the seven works called, “The Encounter Between Two Races.» Credit: Héctor Ruiz.

Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).- Rehabilitation of «The History of Jocotepec,” a group of murals located in the atrium of the Temple of Señor del Huaje began a little more than three weeks ago. The goal is to restore the seven large paintings that adorn the wall bordering the temple’s terrace. 

As part of the project, a new mural will be painted. Humberto Guillermo Ibarra, creator of the existing ones,  says that the series will conclude with a mural titled «Golden Brooch.» The series of murals portray the history of the municipality, from its foundation, the appearance of Señor del Monte during the cholera epidemic, and the encounter between two races.

This last painting, explained the artist, will be called «A Sunday Afternoon in the Plaza of Jocotepec.» It will show how the kiosk looked before, as well as the coexistence at the time of the foundation of the main square, from the middle of the last century.

The last work that will close the series of «History of Jocotepec,» is in the planning stage. Credit: Héctor Ruiz.

For the execution, Ibarra explained that the people portrayed in the mural will be «real» people, from the town itself. At least ten, he commented, will be from City Hall.

With respect to the rehabilitation of the seven existing murals, Guillermo said that the work required is not major. The colors need a bit of restoring, as well as the adaptation of small items, plants, chairs, or other small objects.

Finally, the artist who has more than 25 years of experience, says he’s satisfied with his work. The work was recently named an official “Cultural Heritage of Jocotepec.” For years it has remained intact, «it has passed the test of time,» he said. He explained that his style has always been influenced by well-known Mexican muralists such as José Clemente Orozco, and Diego Rivera.

Translated by Amy Esperanto

From left to right: Diego Zamora «Dj Azteca», Jorge Ramón Rochin «Dj George» and Cristian Axel Rochin «Dj Kid». Photo: Sofía Medeles.

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- Ajijic has a reputation for being a center of artists, not only in painting, but also in music. Currently, the rap music genre has influenced it’s new generations,  demonstrated by  Diego Zamora, 11 years old, Cristian Axel Rochin, 12, and Jorge Ramón Rochin, 9, three children who decided to start their career as rappers. Their artistic names are: Dj Kid, Dj Azteca and Dj George and they acquired a taste for rap and an intention to perform it from an early age.

It was not until recently that they put it into practice, attending the Cochera Cultural art center in Ajijic where different workshops are taught for children in the San Sebastian neighborhood, north of the town of Ajijic. «We are the only ones who rap in the garage. (Cochera Cultural).  Our favorites are Santa Fe Klan and Gera MX –  they inspire us», they told Laguna.

Their first performance in front of an audience was last Friday, April 22, as part of the Earth Day commemoration program, in the main square of Ajijic. The three children had a space to share their rhymes, which were applauded by the audience.

Dj Azteca during the presentation last Friday, April 22.

«We were nervous, but once we finished we felt calm. Our teacher told us to put all our energy into the presentation. We don’t know when we will perform again with an audience like this, but this last time made us feel more encouraged,» shared Dj Kid.

The three kids, who say they are in the process of recording an album at the Cochera Cultural, said they would also like to publish their songs on video platforms such as YouTube. They also advised their contemporaries to continue with their goals, and to get support from teachers to increase their skills.

The artist from Ajijic and teacher of some of the workshops for children at the Cochera Cultural,  Artistic Director Antonio López Vega, commented that the project is aimed at children from the San Sebastián neighborhood and its surroundings, with workshops on children’s painting, papier-mâché, ceramics, among others, as well as the music workshop taught by Eleazar Soto and the dance workshop with teacher Emilia Gálvez.

These workshops are held on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and are free of charge. Antonio Lopez said  that the program is happy to accept donations in kind for the children, for example, paper for painting, brushes of different sizes, etcetera.

Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan

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: 6:00-8:00pm

“Caballito de Palo” Stick Horse National meeting

Day: Saturday, April 30

National Circuit of Escaramuzas 

Place: Lienzo Charro de Ajijic

Schedule: 12:00 noon

Cost: Family event Free of charge

With the Soul of a Child

Day: Saturday, April 30

Art exhibition

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

Hours: 6:00pm Cocktail

Cost: Free admission

Agave

Day: Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1

Workshops exhibitions tastings

Place: Calle Colón #29 Ajijic

Hours: Saturday 5:00-9:00pm and Sunday from 12:00 to 6:00pm  

Cost: Free admission

5k and 10k races

Day: Sunday, May 1st

Athletic Race 

Place: Santa Cruz de la Soledad Chapala delegation

Time: 8:00 am

Cost: $260 pesos Registration at Taco Mexicano 

Fishing Tournament 

Day: Sunday, May 1st

Fishing Tournament

Place: San Antonio Tlayacapan boardwalk

Schedule: 8:00 – 2:00pm 

Cost: Kayak $200 Shore $150 Purchase tickets 332-077-9832 / 331-287-2022

Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra

Day: Wednesday, May 4

Presentation of the most important orchestra in Mexico 

Place: Templo del Señor del Monte Jocotepec

Time: 8:00 pm

Cost: Free admission 

Wine Forum 2022 

Day: May 7 and 8

16 wineries tastings culinary tastings musical presentations 

Venue: Chapala Yacht Club

Cost: From $540-1,000 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

Schedule: 8:00pm

Cost: Free of charge

Joco Loco May

Day: May 14 and 15

Cultural festival with more than 22 musical acts and other artists

Place: Casa Joco – Calle el Chante 5 Jocotepec

Hours: 12 noon to midnight

Cost: Tickets available on Facebook Casa Joco or through email jocotepeccasajoco@gmailcom $500 pesos each day or $800 pesos for both

Vaccination day for dogs and cats

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

Cost: Free of charge.

Translated by Kerry Watson

The workshop is coordinated by poet Mario Z. Puglisi. Photo: Alma Serrano.

Alma Serrano.- A literary creation workshop is being offered for all the public as part of the activities of promotion and diffusion of all the arts. It will be offered by the independent cultural center «Voz al Viento» in San Juan Cosalá, headed by its owner, the plastic artist Isidro Xilonzochitl «Xilotl.»

Coordinated by the poet Mario Z. Puglisi, the workshop is aimed at anyone interested in developing technical knowledge and literary tools to be able to write texts in the genres of short stories, poetry or literary essays with greater clarity and quality. 

The workshop is also designed for literature lovers or those who wish to learn a little more about the history of art, the written word, established authors and universal works that even today continue to transmit the wisdom and sensitivity of human beings.

The workshop is divided into thematic cycles that cover one literary genre at a time and week by week, every Wednesday, you’ll learn the literary techniques necessary for a good writer, including the grammatical resources that deepen the understanding of our language; the history of literature with its currents, periods and styles; and the life and work of indispensable writers.

In addition to sharing stories, poems or fragments of novels will be commented upon and discussed by the group in a fraternal atmosphere that promotes the exchange of ideas and reading. 

From April to October 2021, the workshop completed its first cycle dedicated to the genre of poetry with a group of attendees, mostly from San Juan Cosalá and Jocotepec. The group finished with great satisfaction at achieving their proposed goals and who continue to this day forming the group of the literary creation workshop of the cultural center. 

The workshop is held every Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:30 in the evening, in the cultural space located at Calle Porfirio Díaz Poniente #120. 

All those interested in attending the literary workshop and being part of this creative group are asked to request information related to registrations and requirements by WhatsApp message to 331-063-3976, or by message to the Facebook profile Mario Z Puglisi or Espacio de Arte y Cultura Xilotl «Voz al Viento.» «Voz al Viento» will soon start plastic arts workshops taught by maestro Xilotl and aimed at over 12 years of age, beginners and intermediates, with a duration of three months, starting on the following dates: 

Drawing workshop for beginners. Wednesday, May 4 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. 

Graphic workshop with «linocut» technique. Thursday, May 5 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm  

Acrylic painting workshop. Friday, May 6 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

For more information about these workshops, please call the cell phone number 331- 013-3995 or send a message to the Facebook profile Espacio de Arte y Cultura Xilotl «Voz al Viento». 

Translated  by Sydney Metrick