Neill James, the Mississippi-born world traveler and author who settled in Ajijic in the 1940s, is revered among townspeople as the benefactor who founded the first library and art programs for local children and became patroness to a number of promising young artists whose professional careers arose from those projects.

Prominent names included among the first generation of her protégés are Antonio López Vega, Javier Ramos, Juan Navarro,  Daniel Palma, Dionicio Morales, Antonio Cárdenas, Víctor Romero, Lucia Padilla, Alejandro Martínez, Javier Zaragoza and Jesús López Vega. The latter two have helped perpetuate James’ cultural initiatives as mentors of the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Children’s Art program held every Saturday on the very grounds where she made her home.

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