July 2026

Many of us know Libby Townsend. For 20 years, she has handled payments, subscriptions, distribution, home delivery, and reader calls for The Guadalajara Reporter. “If someone calls with a story tip, I direct it to the appropriate reporter,” Libby told me when I visited her in her office in Plaza Bugambilías, directly across from Chopsticks

Actionable advice for a positive environmental effect. Observant Gardening Now that the rains have started and our garden watering chores are lessening, perhaps we can all relax a bit by spending more time watching, listening to and enjoying our gardens. Let’s start at the ground level with the soil. Soil has been around for hundreds

JULY EVENTS July 3 to August 31 Casa del Sol Back by popular demand! Ceramicist Dawn Carver returns to Casa Del Sol, exhibiting her stunning, glazed, hand-built, clay pieces. Most of these remarkable works will hold water making them not only beautiful but practical as well. The exhibit runs until August 31st. July 8 &

As told by Marco Antonio Castañon Castro Inspired by the popular mythology of the Ribera de Chapala. Based on the whispers of the wind that blows across the lake, passed down from generation to generation (with some variations depending on the mood of whomever tells it). The wise say that the truth is hidden among

All They Need Is Love We often hear that people with dementia become aggressive, as if it is simply part of the disease. But what many people, including loved ones, don’t realize is that behavior is often communication. The number one trigger for distress in dementia is unmet needs, especially unrecognized physical or emotional discomfort.

México Te Quiero Verde Joaquín Villanueva Rosales and Cinthya Verónica Velarde Nuño are building something ambitious from the ground up: a native forest nursery dedicated to restoring Mexico’s compromised ecosystems. Their project, México Te Quiero Verde, began with a shared love of nature and a growing awareness that many native tree species are disappearing from

Urban Sketchers In Ajijic, it’s easy to understand why artists carry sketchbooks. The villages of Ajijic, Chapala, and the neighboring communities along the shores of Lake Chapala unfold in layers of color and texture: cobblestone streets polished by generations of footsteps, bright walls washed in terracotta, cobalt, and sunflower yellow, hand-painted signs weathered by sun

The Red M Jani stood on a flagstone facing the pond looking into the water. She thought about how often she had wronged a right, how easily she had justified it. She thought about Maria, about the ‘M’ she told Francisco to paint on her shell in red fingernail polish. She felt worse about doing

The Devil was as much a part of the García family as the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus; the only person who had never sinned. My teacher, Sister Margaret, told my second-grade class that if you committed a really big sin and were too afraid to ask God for forgiveness, you could pray to