Of all the colorful characters who have shaped Ajijic’s history, few left as vivid an impression as Eleanor Saenger—better known as La Rusa. The actress, vocalist, and ballet dancer captivated audiences on stages from New York’s Metropolitan Opera House to Europe’s grand theaters before settling at Lake Chapala a century ago.
La Rusa and her dance partner, Holger Alexi Mehnen, arrived in Ajijic in 1924. For the next five decades, she became a larger-than-life presence in the village: a defender of the lake, the owner of a local gold mine, and even the host of Indian yogi Paramahansa Yogananda. Longtime residents still recall her dramatic figure—dressed in exotic costumes and riding horseback through Ajijic’s cobblestone streets.
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