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As Ajijic’s festivities surrounding the yearly tribute to spiritual patron San Andrés Apostol kick into action next week, local families will welcome the return of Los Hijos Ausentes, the relatives who come back to town from places of residence in the United States and other parts of Mexico.

When I popped in to the Lake Chapala Society to cover the installation of the Before I Die bucket list wall, a picked up a handful of the memorial cards that were made up for the  November 1 Celebration of Life ceremony.

Philanthropy is a quality that has long been a golden thread woven into the fabric of the Lake Chapala area’s expatriate community.

Anyone who has lived at lakeside for more than a matter of months would have little trouble identifying newcomers by the kind of questions they throw out on social networks.

Fiestas Patrias season is the ideal time to indulge in Mexican cuisine to your heart’s content. I sure have done my share since the first of September and my appetite hasn’t slacked since Independence Day.

Sitting enthralled at the recent Encuentro del Mariachi gala s¯taged at Chapala’s waterfront I suddenly choked up as one of the featured troupes visiting from South America struck up “Mexico Lindo y Querido.”

The heart-throbbing tune and melancholic lyrics refer to the sentiments of a Mexican who contemplates dying in a distant land.

The words of the chorus are “México lindo y querido, si muero lejos de ti, que digan que estoy dormido y que me traigan aquí.” English translation: Lovely and beloved Mexico,
if I die far from you, let them say that I’m asleep and may they bring me back here.

I can’t fully explain why the classic ranchero song by Chucho Monge stirs up emotions that are inclined to bring me to tears. I guess it’s a combination of a fondness for the passionate tales told through many of the country’s traditional songs and deep-rooted love and loyalty to my adopted home.

For the latter reason I also feel a twinge of patriotic excitement when I hear and sign along with the militaristic official national anthem.

“Mexicans, at the shout of war, make ready the steel and the bridle, and may the Earth tremble at its centers at the resounding roar of the cannon.”

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