RATING: ♦♦♦♦♦
We had read about the Lake Chapala Society long before we made our journey to Ajijic. We knew it was the place to go if you wanted to connect with other English speakers. We knew there was an open bridge game on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. But the Lake Chapala Society is so much more than expats playing bridge.
The story of the Lake Chapala Society begins with a fascinating woman named Neill James. Neill was born in Mississippi in 1895, but became a nomad after college and travelled the world extensively before making her home in Ajijic in 1942. She began to write about her experiences in Mexico, and her books drew the attention of famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway, D.H. Lawrence, George Bernard Shaw, plus the editor of Life Magazine, who came to visit her here.
After WWII, hundreds of former military men came to Mexico to continue their education, sponsored by the G. I. Bill. Many settled in Ajijic to enjoy the glorious year-round weather. On January 15, 1955 thirty-one “foreigners” including Neill James, decided an expatriate society was needed. Brig. General John Paul Ratay (a highly decorated military officer in WWII) became the first president of the new organization, the Lake ChapaIa Society. All foreign residents of Chapala would be invited to join. The intention of the society was to benefit both the foreign residents and the community of Chapala as a whole.
During the next few years, Neill James continued to travel. Everywhere she went, she picked up rare plants and brought them home to Mexico. The garden at LCS is still filled with some 200 varieties she personally planted. Neill also founded the first libraries of Chapala and Ajijic, and taught cooking to the women of the large households at Lakeside. Concerned about sanitation and health, she developed a water purifying system, paid to dig the first deep water wells, helped install both electricity and the telephone, all while setting up schools for the local children.
She turned the small fishing village of Ajijic into an art center that drew international attention. Being a woman of means (inherited from her father), she financed many of her most talented children on through the university level. Six of her original students still live and paint at Lakeside today: Antonio Cardenas, Dionicio Morales, Victor Romero, Jesus Lopez Vega and his brother, Antonio Lopez Vega, as well as Javier Zaragoza.
One of Neill’s most important donations was that of her last home, as well as the huge grounds on which sits, to the Lake Chapala Society, the largest expatriate community (in any one area) in Mexico. She died in late 1994, having lived almost 100 years.
In 1997 Ed Wilkes, a long-time Ajijic resident with a keen interest in education, died leaving his house to the society. The house was retrofitted and named the Wilkes Education Center. The Biblioteca Publica (public library) is located here, as well as the Spanish Language Library and a computer lab.
Today, the society has 44 students receiving financial aid. The children’s art program continues, and is free to all children. The Patio cafe has become a favorite place for catching up with old friends and acquaintances, and the beautiful grounds are used for quiet time as well as many and varied activities. The Lake Chapala Society is an information center for travelers, residents, and those who are interested in making Mexico their home.
