Living at Lake Chapala in Mexico

Many folks find it easier to get to know an area once they've familiarized themselves with a map. Maps of Mexico are not easy to find and you'll never find maps for most small to medium towns. So, what do you do when you enter a new Mexican community and want to head for the center of town to find an ATM, cab, restaurant or other services?

Look for the church spires! The large, old churches in most towns and cities are either next to or very close to the community's main plaza. Recent changes in Mexico's laws now allow other buildings to be taller than the church steeples, but the old, distinctive towers are usually visible from vantage points all around town.

Interactive Maps
We recently rediscovered a good map that not only shows the location of Lakeside's towns and villages, it shows you the relationship to Guadalajara. With this map you can trace the free highways and the cuotas (toll roads) back to the border, down to the beach at Manzanillo or Puerto Vallarta or pretend you are taking a trip east to Patzcuaro in Michoacán, San Miguel de Allende in the state of Leon or travel on to Mexico City.

You'll get a good understanding of how to get to the airport and to the city of Guadalajara, where San Juan Cosalá is compared to Ajijic and Jocotepec, the distance around the lake and the location of the islands in Lake Chapala. Have you spotted a house in an internet ad that is Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos or Agua Escondido? You'll find those areas here, too. Even after you play with this one for an hour or two, you'll want to bookmark this website so you can come back again later: http://encarta.msn.com/map_701513910/Chapala_Lake.html

Interactive Map of Guadalajara
Guía Roji, the country's premier map maker, has launched an internet site which will allow viewers to find nearly any address or landmark in Guadalajara or the i the metropolitan suburban cities of Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, Tonalá, Tlajomulco and El Salto.

The website can be searched by street address, colonia (neighborhood), postal code, or landmarks. Once the searched address is located, you can zoom in for a close look at other streets or you can zoom back out to get a good overview of the location, and then you can even print out the helpful page. The website is written in Spanish, but we think you'll be able to figure it out.

To find a specific address, just type in the address in the space provided on the first page.

I really enjoyed exploring the city's landmarks. To find the list of landmarks, click on the map of Guadalajara, then select "Sitios de Interés" (Sites of Interest) You'll be shown a list of interesting sites around the city. When you click on any of them, a map pops up with that landmark's specific location.

I've sure bookmarked this page. The next time someone asks me how to get to a doctor's office or to a particular fabric shop in Guadalajara, I'll be able to come up with a great answer, fast! Better yet, you can bookmark the site, too. Then you'll be able to find the information yourself!

The Guadalajara website is http://www.guiaroji.com.mx/

Getting Interactive at Lakeside
To get to know the streets in the Lakeside's villages take a look at the interactive street map available at http://www.chapala.com/maps/ajijic.html. There you'll find street maps and short bits of information about the history of Chapala, San Antonio Tlayacapan, Ajijic, San Juan Cosalá and Jocotepec.

Road Maps of Mexico
You won't find a road map in Pemex gas stations anywhere in the country, and unless you are in a border city, the only map of Mexico you'll find in the United States will be the back page of your U.S. Atlas, and trust me when I tell you that doesn't have anywhere near enough information for Mexican driving trips.

Guia Roji publishes the best maps of Mexico. When you are at Lakeside, you can purchase these great maps in several Lakeside locations including: Superlake (the grocery store) on the highway in San Antonio Tlayacapan, Libros and Revistas, a local book store with two branches. The original store is on Francisco Madero, the boulevard through the center of Chapala, near the main intersection with the stoplights. The second Libros and Revistas location is located near the parking lot entrance of Plaza Bugambilias in Ajijic. You'll spot Plaza Bugambilias on the highway when you see the movie theater marquee out front.

Life is Good at Lake Chapala!