The Lake Chapala Shrine Club (LCSC) went all in on its annual Ribfest fundraising effort this year, hosting back-to-back events on Tuesday, March 4, and Wednesday, March 5.

The origins of the Sayaco and Sayaca dancers who set the tone for Ajijic’s rambunctious Carnaval festivities cannot be pinned down in written historical records. All we know in the present day comes from legends handed down over many generations in the oral accounts of local people.

Cuauhtemoc, the last Mexica (Aztec) Emperor, was famously hanged by Hernan Cortés on February 28, 1525.

Friday, February 14 is Día del Amor y la Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship), as Valentine’s Day is known in Mexico.

Nuño de Guzmán (wearing the brown coat in the ancient codice seen here) founded the first settlement of Guadalajara but is widely regarded as one of the most brutal Spanish conquistadors.

It took four attempts to establish Guadalajara. Spanish lawyer and slave trader Nuño de Guzmán, hoping to redeem himself by conquering new lands, founded a capital but failed to defend it.