May and June of 2023 mark 100 years since the renowned and controversial English novelist, D. H. Lawrence, spent a remarkably productive and well-documented two months in Chapala.
Lawrence and his wife Frieda had embarked on a world-circling expedition in February 1922, traveling east and reaching San Francisco in September. They continued to Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico at the invitation of Mabel Dodge Luhan, a wealthy American arts patron. Their stay in Taos was turbulent, and they soon decided to travel to Mexico. They reached Mexico City in March 1923, joined by two new friends from Santa Fe, the American poet, Witter Bynner, and his partner, Willard ”Spuds” Johnson.
Lawrence had a very low tolerance for Mexico City and its surroundings. Determined to find what he deemed a more authentic Mexico and stimulated by his experiences at the sacred archaeological sites, Lawrence decided to set out on his own for a romantic town he’d read about: Chapala.
Upon arrival on April 29, 1923, Lawrence was immediately struck by Chapala’s picturesque setting and sent his famous wire to Frieda, Bynner and Johnson: “Chapala Paradise: come at once!”—which they did.
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