Foreign Footprints in Ajijic: decades of change in a Mexican village

by Tony Burton

The vibrant community of Ajijic , idyllically situated on the shores of Lake Chapala in Mexico, is one of the most cosmopolitan villages in the world. In the 1940s it was a small, remote, parochial village of farmers and fishermen. But waves of foreigners settling in the village led to ripples that spread across the entire community. From artists, writers, entrepreneurs and philanthropists to land-grabbers, paradise-seekers, hippies and eccentrics —all brought their own ideas and aspirations, inevitably inspiring a transformation of their host community. Why, how and when did this happen? What and who were the driving forces behind this astonishing evolution? Foreign Footprints in Ajijic examines how this humble village grew, how the lives of its residents changed, and how a colorful cast of foreigners forever changed this slice of Mexican heaven.

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2022

About the author

Tony Burton has specialized in exploring and writing about Mexico for more than thirty years.
He has an MA in Geography from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a Post-Graduate Teaching Certificate from the University of London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
He has published hundreds of articles relating to Mexico's geography, ecology, travel, tourism, history and economics, and is a three-time winner of ARETUR’s annual international travel-writing competition for articles about Mexico.
Burton has been a regular contributor of articles, photos and maps to http://Mexconnect.com since its origins in 1996.
From 1986 to 1997 he designed and led dozens of specialist academic tours and fieldwork courses in Mexico, relating to ecotourism (Monarch Butterflies, West Mexico Ecology, Paricutin Volcano, Copper Canyon), Tourism, and Migration Studies.
Burton was Chief Geography Examiner for the International Baccalaureate from 2004-2010.

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you ever had any question about anything past or present in Ajijic, this is your book. It was almost encyclopedic in its thoroughness and was often repetitive in stating the same facts or incidents in different chapters.

Overall it was very interesting, but about 1/3 of the narrative could have been cut.