In the lead-up to Mexico’s Independence Day on September 16, communities around Lake Chapala are buzzing with Fiestas Patrias festivities and other traditional September events.

The Salvemos el Lago Más Grande de México festival, held Sunday, August 31, at the Ajijic waterfront drew a large crowd united by a common cause: demanding the protection and full restoration of Lake Chapala.

Scientists from two of Mexico’s leading universities are calling for the urgent creation of a “Green Agenda” to improve water and environmental management for Lake Chapala and the Lerma-Chapala-Santiago watershed.

In 1985, Ajijic resident and expat Barbara Weston recognized that the community had a market for second-hand merchandise that other foreigners wanted to dispose of before returning to their home countries—or passing away. With that in mind, she opened a small consignment shop on Calle Independencia, naming it Barbara’s Bazaar.

“Let’s Save Mexico’s Largest Lake” is the theme of a peaceful protest taking the form of a cultural festival on Sunday, August 31, at Ajijic’s waterfront park next to the Malecón.

The Lake Chapala chapter of Democrats Abroad held its latest “No Tyrants – Hands Off” rally on Saturday, August 23, at the Ajijic Plaza to protest the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration.