Mexico boasts five major ecosystems, and they all converge within what I like to call the “Magic Circle” around Guadalajara.
I live in Pinar de la Venta, on the edge of Bosque la Primavera, placing me within the Temperate Forest ecosystem. Many foreigners living around Lake Chapala are in the Arid Scrub ecosystem, with flora, fauna, and weather conditions quite different from mine. Communities northeast of Guadalajara reside in the Grasslands, a flat prairie region, while those along the Pacific Coast live in two distinct Tropical ecosystems.
This unique geographic setup means that Guadalajara’s inhabitants are just a few hours’ drive away from any one of Mexico’s ecosystems. It also means that people thinking about moving to Western Mexico can literally choose the climate that best suits them.
For this article, I’ll focus on just one of these ecosystems: the Temperate Forest zone, which stretches from northern Jalisco to Michoacán, skirting the Lake Chapala area.
The altitude here ranges from 2,000 to 3,400 meters (6,500-11,000 feet), ensuring cool nights and sunny days year-round, with no need for air conditioning.
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