Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos
Lake Chapala
Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos is just a few minutes drive from Lake Chapala, the largest freshwater lake in Mexico. It is approximately 50 miles long from east to west and 11 miles wide from north to south, covering a total of 425 square miles. It is very shallow however, averaging only 15 feet in depth. Fishing was once a large industry in the villages near the lake's edge, but continues to dwindle.
Furthermore, the lake and its mild winters have attracted the largest expatriate retirement population in the world. "Discovered" after World War II, the region now houses over 40,000 Europeans, Canadians and Americans. While the lake has suffered in the past, recent intervention from activists' group, the Mexican government and the international community insure its future.
What is our weather like?
The climate of Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, located at 5,100 feet above sea level, is classified as "semidry", with a very dry winter and spring and "semi warm" without a defined winter season (averaging 8 days with frost each year). The average annual temperature is 68° F. There is a "rainy season" with heavy rains every day in the evening beginning around June and tapering off by the end of August. The average annual precipitation is 32 inches.
The Children’s Hope House (Casa Hogar “Mi Esperanza”) in Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, Jalisco, Mexico, is an outreach of Shepherd’s Heart Ministries, Inc. and Shepherd’s Heart, México, A.C., supervised by a Board of Directors and by IJAS (Instituto Jaliscience de Asistencia Social) with whom all State charities in Jalisco, Mexico must be registered.
Where are we located?
Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, with over 25,000 inhabitants in 2005, is a municipality located in the center of the state of Jalisco in Mexico. The town is about 20 miles from the state capital, Guadalajara, and a short 30 minute drive from the international airport located there.
Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos???
There are several interpretations of the meaning of Ixtlahuacan. However, is it widely believed to be the compound of two words from around 1500 A.D.: "ixtla" from Ixtlacateotl, the prevailing deity of the time, and "huacan" from Chimalhuacan, which was the name of the region.
A membrillo (or quince in English) is a fruit that looks like a yellow cross between a pear and an apple. A good, ripe membrillo has an amazing floral and sweet aroma and eaten raw has a very sour "green apple" taste. At one time Ixtlahuacan had several membrillo orchards yielding thousands of membrillos. Hence the name of the town, Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, means Ixtlahuacan of the Quince Fruit.
Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, the main entrance of the town shown above, has grown significantly from the Indian village it once was. According to legend, around 1533 A.D. a tribal group from Tlajomulco received a revelation from their god that the place where they lived would sink and they would die if they did not leave. This same revelation contained the instructions to climb a very high slope at night and look to the east for a bright, shining light. The shining light would indicate where they should relocate.
In Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, there is a large natural spring called "El Ojo de Agua" or "The Water's Eye", the original site shown above. This natural spring supplies most of the town with water today. However, in 1533 A.D., the water ran unrestrained downhill and formed several large pools. By night according to the legend, the water in these pools reflected the light of Venus creating an intense light that could be seen from a great distance. Recognizing the light as a sign from their god, they relocated around "The Water's Eye". Thus, the town of Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos was established.
