Like everything in Mexico, Lake Chapala has had a stressful and difficult history (and for that matter present). For over ten thousand years, humans have lived upon its shores, fished its waters and fought off a seemingly endless number of intruders who were attracted to its brown waters. The Huichol Indians are the primary indigenous group in the area and even today they fish the lake, grow corn on the mountains and pretty much try to stay out of everybody else's way. Every Saturday morning as I go for a walk on the Malecon there are about ten Huichol women and children in a circle doing a dance and regarding the lake soberly. They would make a terrific picture but they really have a problem with people taking photos so you'll just have to use your vivid imaginations.
The Lake's water level is a highly variable thing. This is because: 1) only one river flows into it; 2) farmers and others just siphon water out of the river as the whim hits them and the bribes flow and 3) rainy season can be capricious. This third factor is not to be dismissed. From June until late October it rains virtually every night -- sometimes 2" at a time. If the rains start late, end early or lack their usual torrential character it is big trouble. As in the late 90's and early 2000s. For several years the rainy season faltered and the lake receded. Almost a mile of lakebed was exposed. In America, experts would be summoned, expensive hydrological procedures would occur, farmers would be put in stocks for draining river water etc. Not so in Mexico.
The Mexican solution to the problem was to view this as an opportunity to get free land. Pastures were created with barbed wire fences. Building were constructed with rebar and cement. Corn was planted. Orchards were established. The lakebed bustled with economic activity. And then it rained like it was
supposed to. Philosophically, the Mexican entrepreneurs retreated. They failed however to take the barbed wire fences, rebar and trees with them. Thus, when normal water levels were reestablished the first mile from shore became a virtual minefield of submerged items waiting to perforate kayaks, impale those falling from jet skis and spread tetanus to the native children who frolic upon the barbed wire. Today, Ajijic employs a man who has developed an underwater chainsaw to remove tree trunks from the lake for 100 pesos per tree. That is about $8USD a tree -- and he often has to dive into the lake to achieve this. He was featured in the Guadalajara Reporter and seems to enjoy it. Go figure.
But the Lake's problems did not end there. Soon after reasonable water levels were achieved a plague of water hyacinth covered the lakeshore. Fishermen had to machete their boats out beyond the hundreds of yards of plants. It is rumored that in one of their less inspired moments (but not their least inspired-- read on) the local powers that be ordered several tankers of RoundUp dumped into the Lake. I know that this sounds outrageous, and I reiterate that it is only a rumor, but having lived here for a little while, I am not ruling it out. Well, if true, it didn't work.
I like to try to picture the moment the inspiration for the next idea came into the bureaucrat's head. It is evening and he is sitting in a darkened room with a Corona watching the Nature Channel. His recliner is fully extended. From his drowsy stupor, an image comes onto the screen. Sea grass, water hyacinth and a gigantic creature eating its way through vast amounts of vegetation. The narrator intones: " Within a single day, this behemoth can consume a ton of vegetation." The bureaucrat launches himself from the recliner as a vision of his role as savior of the Lake comes into clear focus.
The next day he assembles his coworkers and cranks up the VCR. In the darkened room, murmurs of disbelief and then excitement and acclaim greet his ears. Several weeks later four manatees are dumped into Lake Chapala.
As with so many things, the problem was not with the idea per se but it's execution. OK, so the idea was pretty crazy but the manatees could have lived fairly happily there whether they solved the problem or not. The water is the exact temperature they like and God knows there was plenty of vegetation. No, the problem was, in typical Mexican fashion, nobody bothered to tell the people anything. So a day or two after the manatees take up residence in the lake a fisherman starts shrieking hysterically and paddling frantically for shore. He claims the existence of a lake monster and everybody laughs at him. Until the next day. Long story short. The fishermen, long on courage and short on nature education, take on the manatees and bludgeon them to death in short order.
As close family and friends know, I have a special fondness for manatees. Michael and I have swum with them and they are incredibly gentle creatures. It is testimony to how truly demented I am that when we were told this story I laughed until I wept. It is so Mexico.
However, the experience has taught all involved that education is everything. In the plaza, they have created a sculpture of the manatees in an effort, I suppose, to avoid the same tragic error when next manatees appear in the lake.
Only One Weird Thing This Week (well besides the Manatees)
- They sell motorcycles in grocery stores and furniture stores. No one knows why.
Take care and we'll blog again soon. Please let us know what you are up to and, if you can, come see us. If you want to be dropped from the posting notification updates, just email me at deirdresea@gmail.com.
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| Mountains before "rainy season" |
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| Manatees in the Plaza --- lest we forget |
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| Mural showing Mexican hot air balloon being prepared to float over Lake Chapala |
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| Mural showing the rain god |
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| Backside view of Vino Blanco's owner |
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| View of mountains during "rainy season" |
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| Old orchard in Lake Chapala |
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| Water taxi on Lake Chapala |
