RIBERA DE CHAPALA. 7 ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS

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On the shores of this immense body of water there is a cheerful mosaic of populations, eager to pamper even the most demanding traveler. It is ideal both for those who like adventure and contact with nature, as well as for those who are looking for an encounter with culture, history and art, or simply relax and revitalize body and soul.

Among beautiful hills that like gnarled hands cling to the earth wanting to reach the water, about 40 minutes from the city of Guadalajara, the largest lake in our country awaits and as has been corroborated by several foreigners from countries with large lake areas such as Canada and Norway, one of the most beautiful in the world: Lake Chapala.

CHAPALA

He was the pioneer in tourism at the national level, as shown by his old hotel built in 1898, today converted into a municipal palace.

Indispensable

Stroll along its boardwalk, a peaceful place from where you can contemplate the lake and the imposing mountains, letting your gaze get lost without reaching the shore to the east.

Visit the handicraft market, where typical pieces from many parts of the country converge. Michoacán copper crafts and cowboy hats; while in the distance, with the breeze, colorful hammocks from Oaxaca sway, and the mud of Tlaquepaque repeats the sound of the lake in its cavities, and fascinating pieces of the Huichol float in the air.

Choose where to eat in the restaurant area of Acapulquito and get fully into the fruits of the lake: golden charales, white fish with garlic sauce, roe tacos.

Try the delicious carafe snow.

Visit the old railway station, a stately building dating from 1920, recently renovated and converted into the González Gallo Cultural Center, where you can see works of contemporary art and local history.

The water mirror, which once looked like a sea to Alexander von Humboldt, is now an option for many travelers, of all ages, looking to take an interesting tour.

Mix it up

The short journey from Chapala is made by a pleasant road with viewpoints and exclusive subdivisions of houses. It is a small fishing village ideal for contact with nature.

Indispensable

Arrange an excursion to the mount to see the cave paintings and petroglyphs.

Boat trip to Mezcala Island. It takes about 15 minutes. It is like a small fortified city. From 1819 to 1855 a prison was established and there are still huge unroofed galleries where 600 prisoners remained. From the highest point you have a wonderful view of the entire lake and the Isla de los Alacranes, one of the sacred places of pilgrimage of the Huichol, which can also be visited by embarking from Chapala.

AJIJIC, THE MOST COSMOPOLITAN TOWN ON THE RIBERA

Indispensable

Taste, taste and taste… .As in any place where the multicultural wind has hit hard, there are a large number of gourmet restaurants, Argentine, Italian, Cantonese, Japanese or Greek cuisine.

Stroll through its square and through its streets, where the meeting of lifestyles and nationalities is perceived, since many foreigners, mainly Canadians and Americans, live.

Buy a special piece in one of its 17 galleries that flood the streets with fresh and innovative art. The talent of its artists overflows in the facades with colorful murals and even in the dry trees of the square, turned into sculptures.

Enjoy the night in its many bars. The active local nightlife invites you to have a tequila at Bar Azteca, a cantina where José Alfredo Jiménez was sometimes; There are also good places for beer and billiards such as the El Camaleón bar, but perhaps the most striking bar to have fun, have a drink or dinner, is El Barco, lounge style, with an interesting underground cellar with wines from all latitudes.

Experience a temazcal in the traditional way.

Going back in time with mammoth and mastodon bones, petroglyphs, incense and offering pots of the Nahua peoples that inhabited these lands, as well as weapons and helmets used against the vice-royal government, entrenched on the island.

To get there, take the Chapala-Jocotepec highway and from there to Tizapán el Alto. The path is adorned by beautiful trees that at this time are bursting with color such as jacarandas, galeanas, bougainvillea and tabachines.

TIZAPÁN EL ALTO

Ideal to experience the typical spirit of the region.

Indispensable

Snack on some aromatic roasted guasanas, a kind of tender chickpea, very, very good.

See the tallest towers on the riverbank at the church of San Francisco de Asís.

Stroll through its alleys.

TUXCUECA

This town surprises with the immense tranquility that it radiates.

Indispensable

Walk along its small jetty and relax next to the shade of its massive tree; perfect to contemplate the immense “chapálico sea”, as Alexander von Humboldt called it.

Visit the humble Chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe with its picturesque entrance framed by adobe ruins, which used to be the old inn where goods were unloaded, before embarking to the other towns on the lake.

Watch migratory birds from the jetty.

JOCOTEPEC

Indispensable

Eat the famous birria from the central square in "El Tartamudo", experts by family tradition in the art of preparing this exquisite dish.

Try carafe snow as a dessert, or at any time of day.

Stroll through its different squares, such as Señor del Guaje and Señor del Monte which, despite their proximity, are contrasted by their uneven proportions.

SAN JUAN COSALÁ

Indispensable

Take a bath in its hot springs with relaxing and healing powers.

Get a massage or experience jet and mineral mud therapy.

Visit the Monte Coxala ecological spa, on top of the mountain, with pleasant architecture with pre-Hispanic motifs and imposing views of the lake.

So we say goodbye to the riverbank, with the sun disappearing behind the hills, accompanied by a crowd of birds that return with noise and ceremonial flight to the treetops.

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