Chapala - Information about Lake Chapala, real estate, Lake Chapala living, culture, photos, videos, webboard and history

Welcome to Ajijic and Lake Chapala Retirement Area

We want to congratulate you for looking into Mexico's largest
North American retirement community.

As pioneers in real estate (1st one lakeside) and the publishing business, we have introduced many to our local idyllic scene. We feel this is what we do best, showing you what graceful and carefree retirement is all about.

Let us share with you our excitement and knowledge on the Lake Chapala area. Be among the many that have already begun a new and enjoyable life.

Lake Chapala, the Area Known as “Lakeside”

Lake Chapala is the largest freshwater lake in Mexico, with 1112 km².

This area is known as “Lakeside” to residents from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Europe, among other places, and “la ribera” to Mexicans. Due partly to the eclectic mixture, it has developed a continental Old World charm which blends smoothly with a distinctly Mexican ambiance.

Cobblestone streets, tile-roofed homes, riotously colorful gardens blooming year around, and incredible open-air markets and restaurants are common sights, backdropped by lush green mountains surrounding the lake. The hills are laced with flowering trees and plants, and accented by waterfalls, caves, petroglyphs, indigenous sacred sites, and a variety of hiking trails and places to explore.

Over 10,000 retirees call lakeside their home, call us, we can show you around!

Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city, and its international airport are less than an hour away, so Lake Chapala area residents can have anything at their disposal. If for some reason it can’t be found in Chapala or Ajijic, it can be found in Guadalajara. With the airport so close, it is easy to travel to the United States or anywhere in the world.

Read more about Lake Chapala…

Climate And Weather in the Lake Chapala Area

Other prime retirement locations cannot come close to matching the climate in the Lake Chapala area. High humidity, searing summer heat, hurricane and tornado threats and miserable winters are all foreign to the Lake Chapala area. Temperatures are consistent year round. The sun shines all day almost every day. Consistently low humidity adds to the comfort level. The wind is very gentle or non-existent. Sunrises and sunsets vary only about an hour from winter to summer.

A combination of tropical location, high altitude and a large body of water produce a climate in the Chapala area that is second to none in the world. Although National Geographic magazine has done the full analysis and declared Lake Chapala to have the second best climate, those who live here are quite content to be that close to the ideal.
Continue Reading more about climate and weather…

Cost Of Living

Other than excellent climate, the reason many North Americans have for moving to Mexico is the cost of living. Most prices are lower compared to those “back home”. It is hard to understand why so many people on small pensions or Social Security will struggle with miserable climates, high utility and medical bills, and other services, when they could live better in Mexico.

Where is Chapala?

Chapala is located in the central area of the state of Jalisco, Mexico, at the north shore of Lake Chapala, 26 km. (16 mi.) east of the Lake’s western end, and 42 km. (25 mi.) south of Guadalajara, Jalisco. Chapala is the largest city on the shores of Lake Chapala, it is a traditional Mexican city, where you can take walks along the shore of the lake and contemplate the beautiful boardwalk. The climate in the Chapala area is temperate, with rains in summer. The rains occur between the months of June and October. The coldest periods are from December to February. Its average temperature is 72°F / 22°C. The temperature ranges from a low of about 50°F / 10°C in the winter months, to a high of about 90°F / 32°C in summer.
Read more about Chapala…

Living in Lake Chapala

The Lake Chapala Society -Open Circle

Every Sunday at 10AM, a popular community gathering in Ajijic, to enjoy a diverse range of presentations.

October 24, 2021 – Presentation by Collette Clavadetscher: Lakeside Little Theatre – Through the Pandemic and What is in Store

COVID has had its effect on the entertainment industry globally, and Lakeside is no exception. Lakeside Little Theatre (LLT), the oldest English language theatre in Mexico, has tried to keep people in the loop through the past 18 months. Come and find out how the theatre has managed during this difficult period and the plans for navigating the future. You will also hear about the great shows that are coming up at LLT.

Collette Clavadetscher is the President of LLT since May 1, 2018. She has been a board member in various positions since 2013, acted in performances since arriving at Lakeside in 2010 and directed two plays in recent seasons.

Continue Reading Lakeside Living…

Home of the Week

“Brand New House”

Close to amenities, one level, open concept, 2 bedrooms, 2 Bath, laundry room, terrace, kitchen and back yard.

To be finished in January 2022

More about this home…

Home For Sale In Lake Chapala

Let us help you find the house of your dreams!

Click here to see all homes for sale in Lake Chapala

MORE ABOUT LAKE CHAPALA

15 Activities to Enjoy in Lake Chapala

Retirees find that keeping occupied is not a problem; the only dilemma is finding the time to do all the available activities. With over 200 existing organizations in the area, there is a variable of “things to do” year round. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of activities in the towns of La Ribera de Chapala to keep you entertained and participating in this beautiful community.

This is a brief list of some of the activities, places and organizations, which are not numbered in any particular order. Hope this is of great help for you.

Let’s start and have some fun!

Enjoy this video of Lake Chapala area

Ajijic Photos

Ajijic, is a magical town of creation, inspiration and connection with nature, where you can enjoy the magnificent climate most of the year. These are...

A Woman in Ajijic

An extraordinary story that tells the daily life of a woman in the old Ajijic of the 40s

Chapala Railway Station to Become Museum

By Ilse Hoffmann(Published in El Ojo del Lago, November 2000) “I want to put a stop to the rumor that has been circulating around town. The...

Ajijic Tianguis

By Catherine A. MacKenzie Early Wednesday morning transforms an ordinary street in Ajijic into a party among strangers. Inside, the tight air tries to shed...

The Battle Of Mezcala Island

By Robert M. Burnet Mezcala Island, a rocky and chayote-covered outcrop near the north shore of Lake Chapala, today bears scant evidence of the long...

I Live In Ajijic

By Neill James (Ed. Note: The following article was first published in 1946 in the magazine Modern Mexico. Ms. James, known as the “Godmother of...

Flora and Fauna in Lake Chapala

The term ecosystem was coined in 1930 to denote the physical and biological components of an environment considered in relation to each other as a...

Climate and Weather in Lake Chapala

Mexico as a whole has been graced with an unusually temperate climate year-round given its tropical setting. The rainy season occurs during the Mexican summer...

Lake Chapala Towns

For more than 10,000 expatriates, mostly Canadian and American, attracted by a climate described as “eternal spring,” the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest lake, have become a permanent home.

Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico

Ajijic is situated on a narrow strip of land between the mountains to the north and the Lake to the South. It is flanked by San Antonio Tlayacapan to the east and San Juan Cosala to the west. It is seven kilometers west of Chapala. Its average annual temperature is 19.9 degrees Centigrade “68F”.

“In pre-conquest times, Ajijic (Ah-ee-heec) was spelled Axixique or Axixic (pronounced “Ah-she-sheek.”) The final “c” was pronounced by Spanish rules, but whenever anyone pronounces it, people in these parts know he is a stranger. Ajijic means “The Place Where the Water Springs Forth” in Nahuatl.”

Since Tuesday, December 1, 2020, the town of Ajijic, located on Lake Chapala, has been declared the ninth Magic Town of Jalisco (Pueblo Magico), delivered by the federal tourism government.

AJIJIC REAL ESTATE: Homes for sale and rent in Ajijic

Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico

Chapala is located on the north shore of Lake Chapala, 26 km. (16 mi.) east of the Lake’s western end, and 42 km. (25 mi.) south of Guadalajara. It is the oldest, most populated, and the most easterly of a string of villages – Chapala, San Antonio Tlayacapan, Ajijic, San Juan Cosala and Jocopetec – known locally as Lakeside.

Founded in 1538, the town probably took its name from Chapalac, one of its earliest Indian chiefs. Or perhaps it came from the Mexican “Chapatla,” the “place where pots abound,” referring to the primitive Indian practice of appeasing the gods by throwing pots, spotted with blood from earlobes, into Lake Chapala. “Grasshoppers Over the Water” – Nahuatl “Very Wet Place” – Coca “Place Where the Pots Abound”- Nahuatl