HISTORY

Sojourner’s Vista del Lago stands on indigenous land in San Nicolas de Ibarra in the municipality of Chapala, state of Jalisco, Mexico. As owners and operators of this business, we honor all those who came before us and who took care of this land through periods of conflict and peace. 

We recognize Lake Chapala, as our neighbor, a living and breathing entity, whose mist and presence has long brought people together for healing and cooperative endeavors. Lake Chapala, the largest natural lake in Mexico was formed approximately 12,000,000 years ago by volcanic activity and was once more than 7 times its present size covering what is now the city of Guadalajara. The lake is 50-70 miles long and 20 miles wide and covers 417 miles.  The lake now hears the name “Chapala” taken from the Nahuatl language Chapala which means “the sound that water makes when it splashes onto a sandy shore”. Lake Chapala has drawn artists, writers, and creatives to the area for a very long time.

The Olmec head on site reminds us of the Olmec people from the Yucatan peninsula,  who are said to have given Mexico her culture. As owners of this business, we honor our own indigenous traditions and heritage stories, as well as the crossings of people who have come to Mexico for millennia. We recognize those who are indigenous to this land, those who have come through ancient commerce and trade, the Pacific Slave trade, the Underground Railroad from the North and through contemporary migratory patterns.

It is our intention to continue to be good stewards of the land and lake; to promote peace and prosperity, and to be a haven for rest, renewal and reflection.