court0503 Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Anybody know when the carretera was built between Chapala & Ajijic ,enabling motor vehicle to make the trip? And/or when it was first paved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 A decent road between Chapala and Ajijic was built in mid 1980's (1984-85?) I believe until then Ajijic was sort of isolated. A road from Chapala to Guadalajara was cobbled around 1910 and was paved by 1937. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyburton Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Parts of the Guadalajara-Chapala "highway" may have been cobbled in 1910, but my understanding is that it was not until 1933 when the entire road was cobblestones. As Islander indicates, virtually all the road was paved by 1938. For an account of driving from Chapala to Ajijic in the mid-1940s, see http://lakechapalaartists.com/?p=5104 for a description by Ross Parmenter in 1946. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBearII Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 My understanding is that the "Camino Real" in Ajijic just south of the carretera is the old "highway"--am I right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyburton Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Yes, JayBearII, the "rerouting" of the Chapala-Ajijic-Joco road was (I think) completed in about 1952 or so, when the entire road was upgraded. That is also the time when rerouting chopped 6km off the Guadalajara-Chapala highway, establishing (ignoring minor recent modifications) its current route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Sybille Bedford in her travel log wrote this about this first road: (published in 1953) “The trail, conservative in the rhythm of its vagaries, continued-small hole, big hole, boulder, ditch; small hole, big hole, boulder, chasm. In turns, we walked, we rode, we pushed, propped luggage, steadied shafts and helped the mule. We sat by the chasms in discouragement. After some time, pips appeared and baby donkeys, then a banana grove, and presently we reached a sub-tropical village (San Antonio). Women with children at their breasts peered at us from leaf huts“ After another hour, we came to another much larger village with proper mud houses and a market place. For 300 yards, potholes were agreeably replaced by cobblestones ".Ajijic!” proudly called out my driver. -------------------------------------------- I understand that even in 60's Chapala-Ajijic road was still a disaster some called it 'Ho Chi Minh Trail' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johanson Posted May 11, 2018 Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 Thank you both for your great information, and just think, if I am correct, coincidently you are both from or near the same area up north, just north of me, on or near Vancouver Island Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyburton Posted May 11, 2018 Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 Yes, indeed, Islander - I love the Sybille Bedford description - she was at Lake Chapala in 1946 (same year as Parmenter visited). And, yes, it was popularly called the Ho Chi Minh Trail by many, even two or three decades later. Those were the days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Berca Posted May 11, 2018 Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 I'm loving this. Thanks for the great post and excellent information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 11, 2018 Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 I thought of Sybille Bedford's book, A Visit to Don Otavio, as soon as I saw the title of this thread. It is a great and fun - and very funny - read. For anyone interested it's still in print, deservedly. https://www.amazon.com/Visit-Don-Otavio-Travellers-Mexico/dp/1458759776 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafemediterraneo Posted May 11, 2018 Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 Xill Fessenden has been featuring photos of old Ajijic in her exhibit surrounding the Ajijic plaza. This recent one is nice with old photos of parades and rodeos,but the first one was spectacular with photos of the original plaza with a common fountain where the gazebo is now and the carretera as a dirt road with a small sign with an arrow "Ajijic" toward the lake. There should be a permanent place for these significant photos of our area so we may enjoy them for many years. It has been fun to see Mexicans gathered before the exhibits pointing out to family and friends their relatives and landmarks, truly a positive interactive artistic display. We hope Xill has more photos to share and thank her for her community activism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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