Lake Chapala is no longer a paradise without a past.Join this award-winning author as he shares the fascinating history of the Lake Chapala region in Mexico, now one of the most popular retirement area for Americans and Canadians. This book explores the region's formative years from the arrival of conquistadors in the early 1500s to the start of the Mexican Revolution in 1910.A unique collection of extracts from more than fifty original sources, many never previously available in English, are enhanced by insightful, informative and entertaining commentary. Poets, friars, travellers, exiles and scientists overcome bandits and natural disasters to offer captivating tales of courage, greed, delight, unexpected triumphs and much, much more.

Lake Chapala Through The Ages, an anthology of travellers' tales

History

Burton, Tony

Americas

Sombrero Books

Geo-Mexico provides a lively, up-to-date and comprehensive exploration of Mexico, from climates to culture, population to politics, ecosystems to economy, transport to tourism, and globalization to gated communities.
Key features: 
<ul>
<li>- assesses Mexico's success in meeting its demographic, economic and environmental challenges </li>
<li>- traces the historical processes behind Mexico s modern landscapes </li>
<li>- utilizes a variety of concepts, models and theories </li>
<li>- engages the reader in contemporary issues, such as development, international migration, sustainability and global warming </li>
<li>- explains Mexico s spatial patterns and its growing north-south divide </li>
</ul>
 <ul>
<li>* More than 100 original maps, graphs and diagrams </li>
<li>* Over 50 text boxes highlight illustrative examples and case studies </li>
<li>* Complete reference notes, bibliography and index. </li>
</ul>
 Geo-Mexico is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in Mexico.

Geo-Mexico, the geography and dynamics of modern Mexico

Politics & Social Sciences

Rhoda, Richard

Social Sciences

Award-winning travel writer Tony Burton reveals the magic of Western Mexico. Relaxed and intimate, this easy-to-read yet authoritative account features more than 35 original drawings by Canadian artist Mark Eager and 10 maps. Enjoy the author's unique insights into local history, ecology and traditions.Now in its fourth edition, the book remains a favorite among knowledgeable travelers visiting this region of Mexico. The 4th edition is one-third larger than the previous editions, and includes dozens of new places worth exploring. It incorporates several new chapters, including four devoted to the region around Zacatecas. Every chapter has new material. Maps have been redrawn and travel directions updated.A mixture of interests is represented. Included are historical sights such as Zacatecas, Lagos de Moreno and San Blas; artistic colonies like Ajijic; and lakeside communities, including Chapala and Pátzcuaro. Alongside them are ecological wonders, such as Manantlán and the monarch butterflies; old mining towns like Angangueo and Bolaños; coastal resorts such as Barra de Navidad and Puerto Vallarta; Indian villages like Angahuan, and a host of others.Many of these smaller places in Western Mexico offer a glimpse of the Mexico behind the mask; they are places where Mexico has retained her ancient culture and her ancient traditions.All the destinations in parts one and two are within day-trip range (maximum three hours driving time) from Guadalajara (Mexico's second city) or nearby Lake Chapala, a popular retirement center for Americans and Canadians. In part three, all the locations described are worth at least an overnight stay, though Tapalpa, Mazamitla and Tamazula are still within three hours driving time of Guadalajara-Chapala. Parts four to nine describe longer, three or four day trips, which are all well worth the investment of extra time.No fewer than 17 of the towns featured in the book have received the federal designation of "Pueblo Mágico" (Magic Town), in recognition of their cultural, historical or ecological significance, and facilities for visitors. There are now many excellent boutique hotels, some of them in quite unexpected places, making it far easier to explore the less traveled areas of Western Mexico.Whether your interests lie in art, architecture and archaeology; fiestas and folklore; unusual sights and natural wonders, or in Indian villages and indigenous handicrafts, this book will help you discover for yourself Western Mexico's many hidden treasures.

Western Mexico A Traveler's Treasury

Mexico by Motorcycle: An Adventure Story and Guide

Kaliher, William B.

In Mexican Kaleidoscope, award-winning author Tony Burton delves into Mexico's rich history and culture. He focuses on a dazzling selection of events, individuals, myths and mysteries to explore some of the reasons why Mexico has become such an extraordinarily diverse and interesting nation.The 30 short chapters of Mexican Kaleidoscope span the entire range of time periods, from long before the Spanish conquest to the modern day. The topics considered range from cuisine, Aztec farming, Mayan pyramids, sheep and superstitions to mythical cities, aerial warfare, art, music and the true origins of Mexico's national symbols. Along the way, we encounter many unusual, strange, weird and wonderful aspects of Mexico.Mexican Kaleidoscope unravels some of the many forces that have helped shape Mexico's history and culture and helps us understand the appeal and mystique of this engaging country.

Mexican Kaleidoscope: Myths, mysteries and mystique

In this engaging, compassionately-written book, Gwen Chan Burton relates the powerful and moving stories of the many deaf children and youths-unschooled and lacking communication-who found language, a free education, community and friendship at the Lakeside School for the Deaf in Jocotepec on Lake Chapala in western Mexico. The book details how the group of dedicated Mexican teachers responsible for the school's success had to adapt the specialized teaching methods of deaf education to the needs of their students in this atypical, pioneering school. International support and creative fundraising by members of the area's expatriate community enabled the school to expand and offer a boarding program for students from distant villages who would otherwise have had no specialized schooling. New Worlds for the Deaf is a unique account of the risks and rewards of creating a pioneering school that gave seriously-disadvantaged youngsters and their families access to new hope and opportunities. Heartwarming stories of individual students and their accomplishments are interwoven with an account of the school's history and with anecdotes about the customs and culture of rural Mexico that remain true to this day. All proceeds from the sale of New Worlds for the Deaf benefit the hearing aid program for children in the Lake Chapala region, a program the author runs in partnership with the local committee that supports the CAM Gallaudet Special Education Centre in Jocotepec, Jalisco.

New Worlds for the Deaf: The story of the pioneering Lakeside School for the Deaf in rural Mexico

Reference

Burton, Gwen Chan

Words, Language & Grammar

Memoir of growing up in Mexico in the 1940s and 1950s by award-winning author."According to Soledad" gives voice to Katie Goodridge Ingram to tell the story of her bi-cultural childhood. She was born in Mexico City and was raised there and in Jalisco. Soledad speaks of being part American and part Mexican. She says: "My skin is white but my soul is brown." She knows city life with the family's multicultural and artistic friends. She also knows village life with no running water and no electricity. She feels like a hybrid but is intrigued by and devoted to her unusual immigrant parents who left the US to spend their lives in Mexico. Her father is a rare book dealer often away hunting for the find of a lifetime. Her mother is a designer with an adventurous spirit who learns to shoot a gun in order to protect their house from frequent burglaries. This story could be called "A border runs through it" to describe Soledad who manages two languages every day and is hyper-observant of the sometimes shocking differences among the Mexicans, Americans and foreigners in her life.Katie Goodridge Ingram was born in Mexico and lived there for many years, first in Mexico City and then in Ajijic, a village and artist colony on the shores of Lake Chapala in Jalisco. She wrote her first story when she was nine and has continued to write ever since. Much of her writing was influenced by the fact that, as a child of immigrants to Mexico, she felt neither completely Mexican nor fully foreign. In her articles for "Mexico City News" she followed two of her many interests: art and the cultural variety of people and villages in her area. In her gallery she exhibited the works of resident artists as well of visitors to the area and of newly discovered talent. When her children were small she co-founded a bilingual school with other parents. Her children are also bilingual and multi-cultural. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in a variety of anthologies, most recently in "SOLO NOVO: Psalms of Cinder and Silt." She is currently working on a novel set in the state of Michoac&#65533;n.

According to Soledad: Memories of a Mexican childhood

Biographies & Memoirs

Ingram, Katie Goodridge

Arts & Literature

Lake Chapala: A postcard history

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

In 1890, Chapala was a small fishing village; within decades it became an important international tourist destination. This book explains how and why this transformation took place, and looks at the architects, entrepreneurs, adventurers and visionaries responsible.Organized as a walking tour of Chapala, each chapter of "If Walls Could Talk" focuses on a different building and explores the fascinating stories of its former occupants-locals and foreigners. The valuable legacy left by these extraordinary individuals is still clearly visible today in the streets, villas, hotels and grand mansions of this idyllic lakeside locale. Follow the author and discover the history, hidden in plain sight, of Chapala-Mexico's earliest international tourist destination.

If Walls Could Talk: Chapala's historic buildings and their former occupants

The vibrant community of Ajijic, idyllically situated on the shores of Lake Chapala in Mexico, is one of the most cosmopolitan villages in the world. 
In the 1940s it was a small, remote, parochial village of farmers and fishermen. But waves of foreigners settling in the village led to ripples that spread across the entire community. From artists, writers, entrepreneurs and philanthropists to land-grabbers, paradise-seekers, hippies and eccentrics —all brought their own ideas and aspirations, inevitably inspiring a transformation of their host community. 
Why, how and when did this happen? What and who were the driving forces behind this astonishing evolution? 
Foreign Footprints in Ajijic examines how this humble village grew, how the lives of its residents changed, and how a colorful cast of foreigners forever changed this slice of Mexican heaven.

Foreign Footprints in Ajijic: decades of change in a Mexican village

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