"The Place Where the Water Springs Forth"
In 1522, the Spanish Olid Expedition reached the eastern shores of what is today called Lake Chapala. When it arrived, its leader, Captain Avalos, met with little resistance. A royal grant from the king of Spain gave joint ownership of the area to Avalos, who was a cousin of Hernan Cortez. Soon other cousins arrived, and one of them by the name of Saenz acquired almost all of the land that is now Ajijic.
By 1530, the Saenz property was one huge hacienda. The principal crop was mescal, which was used in the making of tequila. The hills were covered with mescal plants. Coffee and corn were also planted. Later, when a tequila distillery was built, the beverage was shipped, along with the coffee, back to Spain.
A mill was constructed on top of the main Saenz residence, which is today the site of the old Posada Ajijic. The blast of a conch horn at 4 a.m. summoned the Indians to bring their corn to the mill to be ground. This mill remained in business until the 1940s.
Subsequent events were to further alter the village. When the Franciscan missionaries arrived, they gave it a patron saint, Saint Andrew. Henceforth, the village was called San Andres de Axixic. Its cobblestone streets, laid down in this period, are still in use today. Later, another grant from the king of Spain made provision for the indigenous Indians.
Ultimately, the Franciscans would completely colonize Ajijic, and in 1535 build their first monastery. During the Cristero Wars of the late 1920s, the monastery was seized by the state, and today is a private residence called Casa Los Suenos (House of Dreams).
Also in 1535, the Franciscans built a chapel and a large church. The church, destroyed by a hurricane and rebuilt some 15 years later, is in use today.
During the Porfirian Era (1875-1920), it was difficult to reach Ajijic from Chapala by land. Commerce was confined to an occasional cargo canoe coming onto the beach at the Saenz hacienda for a load of tequila or coffee beans.
In the early 1920s, the mayor of Chapala purchased the Saenz property, and renamed it Hacienda Tlacuache (the Opossum). The property is still owned by the mayor's descendants, and is now leased to dozens of individuals.
In 1925, Ajijic, with its placid ambience and mild weather, was discovered by European artists and intellectuals. Later, it became a refuge of those fleeing political persecution.
In the 1950s, Ajijic had a population of 6,000. Today that figure has gown to 15,000. It is still considered a hospitable haven, drawing the adventurous from every corner of the globe. It has the greatest concentration of expats in the Lakeside area.
Its streets are narrow, paved with cobblestones, Most homes are behind stone or brick walls, many with surprisingly spacious grounds. The sounds of the village are everywhere - church bells, horses' hooves, the loud speaker of the gas truck, the bell of the water truck, the musical theme of the ice cream man, and calls of various other vendors. Ajijic continues to retain its Mexican identity, while at the same time catering to tourists, with hotels, B & Bs and restaurants galore - more, probably, than in any other Mexican village of its size.
Originally an artists' colony, Ajijic is still full of art galleries and studios. Artists and artisans, Mexican and non-Mexican, offer prints, oil paintings, water colors, sculpture in both metal and wood, and silver jewelry. Weavers, some of whom are Huichol Indian, make serapes, blankets, and wall hangings in bright colors.
The Canadian-American population has spurred an increase in cultural activities. Two organizations are currently very actively engaged in the art scene:
The non-profit Society of Arts (ASA) is dedicated to the promotion of artist and artesanal products in the area, such as weaving, pottery, music, painting, etc.
El Centro de Ajijic de Bellas Artes (CABA) is an art gallery created more than five years ago by American artists to promote the art of painters, sculptors and photographers.
The annual Ajijic International Film Festival is the most recent addition to the village's artistic events.
Stimulated by the creative atmosphere, a number of well known writers have worked here. During the late thirties, in Ajijic, W. Somerset Maugham finished The Razor's Edge. In the forties, Tennessee Williams lived here, hosting a nightly poker game that inspired a short story, The Poker Night, which he later expanded into A Streetcar Named Desire. In the last few years, four best-selling novels by Barbara Bickmore and several non-fiction books by Jim Tuck were written here. Presently, the Lakeside Writers Group serves as a venue for both established and budding writers to critique one another's efforts. A literary magazine, El Ojo del Lago, published monthly, gives aspiring authors a chance to see their words in print. Editor Alejandro Grattan, former movie director and screenwriter and now a successful novelist, sets high standards for the magazine.
Ajijic es un pueblo realmente pintoresco con su caserío de adobe y techos de teja a dos aguas, elegantes casas de campo y residencias de arquitectura típica provinciana.
Calles empedradas que invitan a caminar tranquilamente, playa con muelle y muchas tiendas de artesanías en donde puede encontrar ropa bordada, articulos de piel, telas hechas a mano, cerámica de piedra y madera de buen gusto y manufactura.
Al oeste de Chapala, aproximadamente a 7 kilómetros, se encuentra la población de Ajijic. En medio de estos lugares podemos encontrar diversos lugares de interés como el Manglar, que fue la casa de campo de Porfirio Díaz hace ya un siglo.
En esta región se encuentra también la zona residencial de Chula Vista, de hermosas mansiones donde muchos extranjeros han encontrado su paraíso.
