Expect lively action at the Ajijic plaza this weekend as villagers come together to honor the memory of two of their most distinguished inhabitants: Julia Ramos Velázquez de España and Crescencio Ramos Heredia.
Doña Julia
Doña Julia, the late mother of expat community liaison Héctor España Ramos and eight more offspring, will be remembered Saturday, August 31, with a celebration of her life marking the eighth anniversary of her passing. The tribute will be held at the esplanade outside the Centro Cultural, starting at 6 p.m. The program will include the projection of video clips featuring Julia, live music, ballet folklórico dancers and a spread of typical foods reflecting her personal tastes and style.
Born in Ajijic on May 10, 1925, Doña Julia died August 1, 2011 at the age of 85. Rising up from a childhood of poverty and deprivation, she took on jobs as a domestic worker from an early age, and married at 16 to become the devoted mother of large brood. She matured into a canny entrepreneur and charismatic community leader, admired for her social and political activism, as well as staunch pride in her birthplace.
In the 1960s she served two terms as a member of the Chapala City Council, earning a reputation as an outspoken advocate for the underprivileged and altruistic causes. Among many accomplishments, over the years she spearheaded the greening of Ajijic’s waterfront with scores of trees and plants, a major renovation of the plaza garden areas and the construction of a chapel at the local cemetery.
Crescencio
Crescencio Ramos Heredia will be honored Sunday, September 1, with a memorial mass at the San Andrés Parish, 5 p.m., followed by a program of music and poetry presented by local talent at the Centro Cultural, 6 p.m., and a community social gathering at the plaza, 8 p.m.
Don Crescencio was born in Ajijic on July 18, 1916. He died at age 78 on September 3, 1994 from complications of an attack by swarm of bees he encountered while hiking the local mountain range to collect medicinal plants.
From humble beginnings and a third-grade education, he turned into a master of many trades as an adult. Early on he made a modest living from fishing in the lake and working the land to support a large clan of 16 children spawned from two marriages. In his 50s he took up residence in Guadalajara to work as a merchant and herbalist in the Corona and Abastos markets, squeezing in frequent visits to Ajijic in his spare time.
From childhood Crescencio took great interest in music, developing innate talents over time to become a prodigious composer and lyricist. Best known for authorship of “Mi Lindo Ajijic,” a soulful anthem to his hometown, he left behind a legacy of more than 100 poems and compositions of diverse genres inspired by experiences, people and attributes of the land he loved so dearly.