Christian de la Cruz, a four-year-old boy from San Juan Tecomatlan who was born deaf and without ears, has just returned to lakeside after receiving specialized surgery at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Montreal, Canada.

As if free samplings of Mexico’s emblematic firewater isn’t enough to draw hoards of visitors, the three-day Festival del Tequila Chapala 2013 will offer plenty of south-of-the-border style entertainment.

Chapala will welcome the beloved Virgen de Zapopan on Sunday, July 14 for a two-day visit that will be enveloped in colorful fanfare and religious fervor.

With the Virgin of Zapopan’s summer pilgrimage and the Mud Festival off-road vehicle event (see above right) both booked for Sunday, July 14, motorists should think twice before setting out to drive to or through Chapala that day.

Motorheads can expect a day of adrenaline and sport at the Can-Am BRP Festival del Lodo, to be held in Chapala on Sunday, July 14.

In response to continuing fallout from the recent electronic music blowout held at Ajijic’s Tecoluta soccer field, Chapala Mayor Joaquin Huerta has issued a formal apology and a firm promise that he will henceforth prohibit all events of that type in the municipality.