Focus on Mexico Blog

By Tere Ruiz

In May 2008 I wrote an article announcing the Art Exhibition that would take place at Hospicio Cabañas on Maria Izquierdo's paintings. Some of the people who came in our Focus on Mexico Programs in Lake Chapala, Mexico, between May and September that year had the rare opportunity to enjoy her paintings when we took the Sunday tour of Guadalajara

As you might recall, Maria Izquierdo was born in San Juan de Los Lagos, Jalisco in 1902 and being one of the most important Mexican painters of the twentieth Century, she even had an exhibition in the Arts Center of New York City around 1929 using the landscape and traditions of Mexico as inspirations for her artwork. Her work celebrates popular culture and daily life in rural Mexico, offering us a different vision of the Mexican art as a forefront woman and artist.

Now we are very proud to share with you that on July 2009, among other world-famous deceased artists, musicians and authors, Maria Izquierdo's name was chosen as the name one of the impact craters discovered on Mercury last October.

Maria Izquierdo's paintings are exhibited permanently in the Blaisten Museum in Mexico City, when not traveling around Mexico and other countries.

Other craters in Mercury were named after the following personalities:

Charles A. Eastman, a Native American (Sioux) author, physician, and reformer who helped found the Boy Scouts of America.

Ernest Hemingway, an American writer and journalist who had a significant influence on the development of 20th century fiction.

So hurray for our Maria Izquierdo, one of the most important artists from Jalisco, Mexico.

Focus On Mexico offers 8-Day Educational Programs to Ajijic and Lake Chapala, Mexico (2^nd Best Climate in the World). Join us on a Focus program and learn why thousands of Americans and Canadians chose to retire in Lake Chapala.

Our programs offer the perfect balance; a wonderful vacation and an insightful, educational experience. Our expert speakers cover all topics: Health Care, Real Estate, Legal System, Immigration, Bringing Pets, Cost of Living, US Taxes for Americans, Non-Residency for Canadians, Living on the Lakeside, Investing in Mexico, Mexican Economy and much more...

You’ll get everything you need to help you decide if Lake Chapala, Mexico is the place for you, plus have a lot of fun doing it. Retiring in Mexico couldn't be better. 

By Kristina Morgan

Paul Callens, 47, is an independent film producer living in Ajijic. Paul had a near-death experience and saw his life flash before his eyes but Paul’s experience is especially interesting because he also saw glimpses of the future—reasons for living. Among those reasons he saw a movie he had produced and directed.

Callens waited for years as the idea percolated and became refined and now is the time to make it a reality. Callens is currently planning the filming schedule in anticipation for submission to the Sundance Film Festival. The movie will be entirely hecho en Mexico, or made in Mexico with all scenes shot here in the Lake Chapala and Guadalajara areas.

Good news for all of us here in Lake Chapala: The movie will be portraying Mexico and the Lake Chapala area we know and love without any of the Hollywood hype or disappointing clichés often found in movies about Mexico. It was important to Callens to dispel some of the myths and misconceptions about Mexico

The premise for the movie is based on a true story that announces that scientists in Spain have hacked into NASA’s computers and discovered that cold fusion exists. At the same time the clock is ticking for Mayan 2012 prophecy and this will tie in.

I have an extremely talented family and a special source of pride for me is that Psychostasia, my brothers’ band will be doing the soundtrack will be featured in the movie with my brother, Daniel, playing one of the main characters and my brother David will have a smaller role. They will also be the musical directors for the film.

But wait—there’s more! My husband is also in a band called The TallBoys and they are going to be in the opening and closing scenes and have a song on the soundtrack.

I don’t know where I was when musical talent was being passed out but clearly I missed it and am lucky to be in such great company.

And that’s not all! Remember my previous blog where I wrote about the Grateful Dead? The film will include a modern-day hippie commune. There are actually several of those that are thriving in Ajijic and for the sake of the movie we’re going to have the commune set up as if it continued from the 60s when the Grateful Dead were here. My husband and I along with our three kids have been invited to participate in the commune scene, which means we would be camping for a few days while filming. I’m not positive I will be doing this but my husband, Joel, and three of my kids (Lily, Maya and Noah) will be.

One of the main roles will be played by Ajijic’s own Cidney Supan, who will play the sister who comes from the U.S. to Mexico to talk some sense into her brother, the conspiracy theorist.

Tyler, my dear friend from New York City, who came here to relax, write a book on Independent Musician Promotion and garden has also signed on as part of the production team as the line producer and production coordinator and my mother, Adelle, will be assisting her by coordinating talent and crew.

For those of you living here in the Lake Chapala/Ajijic area: The movie is going to need some extras and volunteers willing to help in an event that promises to be full of amazing memories and fun, as we work together to get this done. If you’re interested in being a part of this, please email Adelle Cordero adellecord@gmail.com

By Tere Ruiz

When I was around 8 years old, I met my friend Maria who became a sister to me.  Ever since then, we’ve been Friends Forever and much more.  Sharing wonderful times of play while kids, lots of romantic stories while teenagers, and joyous moments while raising our children.

Maria and I went school together and we also went to the fair, traveling, partying, and much more.  When Maria and I were 35 years old, my dear friend was expecting her third baby and while giving birth to her, she had a thrombosis.  Her baby made it to this world on time, but my friend was very sick.  I really don’t remember how long she stayed in the hospital, the only thing I remember is that we couldn’t visit her there.  The information regarding her health would filter drop by drop through her maid, her husband’s secretary, or anyone who could reach her mom or someone for a couple of minutes on the phone.

I remember I used to cry all day long thinking of my beloved friend Maria and her three children who were about to lose their mom.

Finally some weeks later my friend came back and recovered miraculously from the thrombosis.  But of course it was months until we could finally reach her and have a “normal” conversation with her, if possible.

I recall that about 6 months later I finally was able to get to visit her in her house.  She was finally back to normal and she told me everything that had happened to her during those months.

When she was finished, I asked her to listen to my side story and how much I had suffered during those times.  When I was finished, I promised to her and to myself that I would always tell her how much I loved her from then on.  And I asked her to tell her children our story together, so they would know that they would always count on me and that I would always love them too.

I guess, in my despair, I lost the shame and fear to let everybody know that I love them.  And since that day, I love much more and I let everybody know how much I love them.  And it feels so right! 

I recovered lots of my “loves” from my life and I’ve “collected” many, many beloved ones since then, as a gift from Living in Lake Chapala and I’ve discovered that saying “I love you” is like a key that opens the heart of the people and that it is quite contagious.  Yes, it is contagious, because now, I have no shame or feel embarrassed to say “I love you” and I always get a lot of “I love you too!” back.

Is there anybody you love and haven’t told them so?  This is the right moment to do it, and it is so easy and priceless.  I am sure that if you have come in a Focus on Mexico Program, you already know that.

What I learned of this experience is that the most important thing when you say “I love you” is that you give a gift of love to the people, but you also give yourself a gift of joy, and guess what?, most of the times you also receive a gift of Love, back.

So just in case, we don’t get to see each other soon, I send you all my love, till we meet again or till we ever meet and become beloved ones.

Tere Ruiz-Rodarte: Director of Research and Development FocusOnMexico.

Focus On Mexico offers 8-Day Educational Programs to Ajijic and Lake Chapala, Mexico (2^nd Best Climate in the World). Join us on a Focus program and learn why thousands of Americans and Canadians chose to retire in Lake Chapala.

Our programs offer the perfect balance; a wonderful vacation and an insightful, educational experience. Our expert speakers cover all topics: Health Care, Real Estate, Legal System, Immigration, Bringing Pets, Cost of Living, US Taxes for Americans, Non-Residency for Canadians, Living on the Lakeside, Investing in Mexico, Mexican Economy and much more...

You’ll get everything you need to help you decide if Lake Chapala, Mexico is the place for you, plus have a lot of fun doing it. Retiring in Mexico couldn't be better. 

By Tere Ruiz

Living in Lake Chapala has brought many new experiences and wonderful satisfactions to my life.  Still the most important thing that this new life has brought me is the opportunity to enjoy myself and to do things that enhance my life physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Living in a big city in the past, with the everyday rat race that it involves, made it very difficult to spend time with myself and didn’t leave me any time to even think about what would really make me happy.  On the other hand, living in Lake Chapala, makes me happy, because it was a choice I made, no matter how much everyone told me I was quite crazy to leave a “wonderful” life in the city to move here. 

In this area, I live a relaxed life.  I have enough time to organize my schedule to accomplish all my professional activities, and still I have enough time to enjoy nature, my home, my life, my beloved ones and myself.

And one of the most gratifying things about living here is that no matter how much I didn’t have time to enhance my physical, spiritual and emotional life in the past, the time has come in which I have been able to start doing this and I have discovered that “It is not too late” to do it.

I never did very much exercise in my youth, but I made the decision that it was still time to start and stop regretting not doing it in the past and stop whining about my physical looks and performance. So just a week ago, I started going to Yoga Classes in my town and I believe this has been one of the best decisions I’ve made and also a blessing.

At the beginning I was worried and scared about not performing well.  I had the wrong idea about competing with my co-students and having to “do it better” than them, specially as I believed they were “older” than me, which now, accepting myself as not a young lady anymore, I can be honest, they are not older.  It felt bad to see that some lady could bend better than me, and make all 8 repetitions of each exercise when I could only make 3!

Then, I thought my pain would get worse, as I have been suffering what I believe must be rheumatism for the last couple of months.  And of course, that was also a big excuse for not exercising all this years: “it will hurt,” “I will sweat,, “I’ll look terrible”…

But guess what, I was totally wrong, it didn’t hurt worse, sweating is a good thing, and I don’t look terrible, I just look like everybody else looks after a Yoga session.

So if you, like me, are thinking that time has gone, that what you didn’t do in the past or did do, has no solution in the present, that at this or that age, things are not possible anymore, etc…  I have good news for you.  Every day is a new beginning, a new opportunity, a new blessing.  The past is gone and Today is a brand new day to start living your life as you want now.  Stop regretting about this and that and give yourself a chance of doing better than nothing, because this is my motto Today:  Doing yoga the best I can, no matter that it means only three repetitions of each exercise or even less, is much more than doing nothing, and in November as a birthday gift, I am going to give myself the opportunity to look at Lake Chapala from the top of the hill because I am going to go hiking all the way up and feel like the “Queen of the World.”  Would you like to join me?  I’ll be waiting for you!

Focus On Mexico offers 8-Day Educational Programs to Ajijic and Lake Chapala, Mexico (2^nd Best Climate in the World). Join us on a Focus program and learn why thousands of Americans and Canadians chose to retire in Lake Chapala.

Our programs offer the perfect balance; a wonderful vacation and an insightful, educational experience. Our expert speakers cover all topics: Health Care, Real Estate, Legal System, Immigration, Bringing Pets, Cost of Living, US Taxes for Americans, Non-Residency for Canadians, Living on the Lakeside, Investing in Mexico, Mexican Economy and much more...

You’ll get everything you need to help you decide if Lake Chapala, Mexico is the place for you, plus have a lot of fun doing it. Retiring in Mexico couldn't be better. 

by Kristina Morgan

I learned something really interesting the other day about Ajijic. The local old-timers said that in the 1960s the Grateful Dead came to Lake Chapala and created a hippie colony while they were here with their loyal “Dead Head” groupies, who are renowned for their dedication to the band’s music. Isn’t the Lake Chapala area full of surprises!?

The story goes that they lived in Ajijic and the Mexican authorities were none too pleased that these rowdy rockers from America landed in their sleepy fishing village with their wild hippy ways and their music that was completely foreign compared to their beloved mariachi.

When the Grateful Dead left their loyal followers decided well…not to follow and wanted to stay and keep running the commune in Ajijic. Their good plans didn’t come to fruition (and who can blame them for wanting to stay here?!) and the Mexicans asked them to leave.

The Grateful Dead were ranked 55th in the issue "The Greatest Artists of all Time" by Rolling Stone magazine. It’s nice to know they also benefited from the inspiration from their time spent at Ajijic. Many other artists, writers and musicians have followed suit.

An interesting note: I got this tidbit from an independent film producer who is making a movie here at our own Lake Chapala! More on that in my next blog….