Hiking to Danza del Sol ceremonial grounds above Lake Chapala
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- Published on Tuesday, 29 November -0001 17:23
- Written by John Pint
The other day I received an invitation to hike in the hills above Ajijic. Our guide was to be long-distance walker Cam Honan. “We’re heading for a place everyone calls ‘The Indian Ceremonial Grounds,’” said Honan. “Every so often a large number of indigenous people gather together up there for something called La Danza del Sol. It’s a beautiful, wide open space with good vibrations and a magnificent view of Lake Chapala.”
As we started our hike, I couldn’t help but reflect on how lucky are the people who live along Chapala’s northern shore. They don’t have to drive 50 kilometers to the nearest mountain – all they have to do is walk out the door, stroll up the street and step into any one of dozens of narrow trails.
It’s amazing. One minute you’re on a city street and then, suddenly you are engulfed by high walls of luxuriant green vegetation. You feel like you’re in some exotic jungle, thousands of miles from civilization. “Here the only way to go is up,” says Cam Honan, “and you can’t get lost. Whenever you’re tired of hiking, you just head downhill and there’s the lake, waiting for you.”
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