The tone of this year’s Carnaval festivities in Chapala and Ajijic were light years apart, according to public opinion.
Activities in the municipal seat were generally rated as lackluster compared to the boisterous mayhem in the neighboring Pueblo Mágico.
What factors make the difference? Local customs and who’s in charge.
While typical characteristics of Chapala’s celebration have become watered down in recent years, the opposite has occurred in Ajijic, where townspeople treasure and maintain local tradition.
Equally, or perhaps more significantly, the municipal government took charge of planning and executing Chapala’s events with little input from the community, differing from Ajijic where residents stayed at the forefront of the loose-knit and more organic organization, coordinated with town administrator Max Macias.
Although the three major dance concerts drew large crowds to the Chapala fairgrounds, there wasn’t much else to capture public favor. For example, Chapala’s Mardi Gras parade, originally scheduled for February 21, was switched to the previous Sunday with little prior notice. The short string of dull and colorless floats didn’t hold a candle to Ajijic’s rollicking two-hour Fat Tuesday cavalcade.
Fiery after-dark ritual is carnaval highlight
The torching of a coffin simulating the burial of somber moods preceding the opening night dance party overshadowed most of Chapala’s otherwise humdrum Carnaval festivities.
In contrast, the boisterous mayhem in neighboring Ajijic reflected townspeople’s commitment to treasuring and maintaining their local traditions.