The Asociación de Cronistas Municipales de Jalisco has awarded its prestigious Luis Pérez Verdía prize to Tony Burton, the British-born geographer, historian and author of seven books about Mexico and the Lake Chapala region.
His titles include “Lake Chapala: A Postcard History” (2022), “Foreign Foot Prints in Ajijic: Decades of Change in A Mexican Village” (2022), “If Walls Could Talk: Chapala’s historic buildings and their former occupants” (2020) and its Spanish translation “Si las Paredes Hablaran”, “Mexican Kaleidoscope: myths, mysteries and mystique” (2016), “Western Mexico, A Traveler’s Treasury (4th edition 2013), “Lake Chapala Through the Ages: an anthology of travelers’ tales” (2008), and “Geo-Mexico, the geography and dynamics of Modern Mexico (2010), co-authored with the late Richard Rhoda.
The Luis Pérez Verdía gold medal was handed out during the 29th Annual Congress of the Jalisco historians organization, held on Saturday, November 23 at Chapala’s former town hall. Burton, a former resident of Jocotepec, currently makes his home in Ladysmith, British Columbia,. Since he was unable to attend in person, the award was accepted on his behalf by Guadalajara Reporter journalist and long-time friend Dale Hoyt Palfrey.
After his first visit to Mexico in 1977, Burton has held teaching positions, worked as a tour guide and penned numerous articles for various publications about the country’s history, economy, geography and tourism. He is a three-time winner of ARETUR competition for Mexico’s best traveler writers. He is editor of the MexConnect website and continues compiling information for his Lake Chapala Artists and Authors blog.
Other prize winners at the event were Francisco Gabriel Montes, honored with the “Fray Antonio Tello” award for his work as a historian for south shore communities in Jalisco and Michoacán, and María Aurora Alcantar Gutiérrez, recipient of the “Rosa Aurea” award for her contributions to the history of the Santa Anita Delegation in Tlaquepaque. Benito Manuel Villagómez Rodríguez was also acknowledged for his tireless defense of Lake Chapala and an outstanding promotor of culture.