AJIJIC VILLAGE HOMES
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Fabulous InteriorsIn and Around the Lakeside Community
Enchanting Village Home Elegant Palladian Canadians Abroad: Southern LightsProduced by Hilary Smyth, Text by Laura Goldstein, Photography by Rob Melnychuk (revised version reproduced with kind permission of Canadian House & Home, originally published April 1997) There is a distinctly Latin flavor to the scene: A maze of narrow cobblestone streets, 25-foot stucco walls aflame with fuchsia bougainvillea, heavy oak and wrought-iron doors that guard entrance into lush tropical gardens, and sumptuous homes. It may seem faraway to us, but when House & Home senior design editor Hilary Smyth visited, she found that it's home to a number of Canadian who have hideaways in Ajijic or San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Both towns have attracted a growing number of Canadian residents who visit as tourists and become so enraptured that they leap at the chance to buy a home there. Ajijic (pronounce it A-hee-hee, about 30 minutes by car from Guadalajara, is situated on Lake Chapala, one of the country's most beautiful lakes, and has a long history of drawing visitors from afar. In 1531 it was colonized by the Spanish, many of whom were the descendents of Moroccan invaders, and indeed the Moorish influence is still evident in the architecture of many homes here. D.H. Lawrence, who stayed in the area briefly, brought the town to English attention by immortalizing it in the final pages of The Plumed Serpent. Then in the 1950s Ajijic became a haven for Bohemian transients, particularly after Life magazine profiled one of its devotees, the late Timothy Leary. Nowadays it's not only a popular getaway destination for wealthy Mexicans, but also home to a close-knit community of about 5,000 Canadians enticed by its breathtaking scenery and amenable climate.
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