About

Free Book: Kaleidoscope of Self ... simply click here or follow the serialization of it on the Facebook group by the same name.

First review made me cry: "It’s fabulous - it’s amazing - it’s unique - it’s uplifting - it’s courageous."

This blog, Mexico Stories comes from the life and times of Joyce Wycoff, omni-curious story hunter, photographer, digital artist, peace advocate.

A new project is born

At the top of my long list of curiosities is people. When I moved to Ajijic on Lake Chapala in 2017, one of the things I noticed almost immediately was how energetic and involved the expats here were. Everywhere I looked there were amazingly generous projects benefiting the community.

Alebrije from Feria Maestros del Arte

One woman I met started a program to put university students and expats together for financial support and friendship. She now has about 125 students receiving beccas (scholarships) and sharing their lives with sponsors. Another woman started a community center in Chapala that feeds almost 200 people every week and supports a thriving sewing cooperative that helps women create their own micro-businesses.

A professional engineer has spent seventeen years testing the waters of the villages of Lake Chapala and helping them create clean water projects. And, sixteen years ago, a gourd artist started a folk art fair that now brings indigenous artisans from all over Mexico together with buyers local and international: Feria Maestros del Arte.

After being here for awhile and being inspired by this climate of generosity, I began to notice the presence and spirit of one woman: Neill James, a travel writer, explorer, and, perhaps inadvertent, community developer. It's easy to bump into Neill since she donated her central Ajijic property to the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) which is probably the first place that the majority of tourists, expats and potential expats come when they arrive in Ajijic.

Mural of the goddess of the lake

Neill arrived in Ajijic in 1943 after suffering two major volcano-related accidents and, apparently, fell in love with the village, and the women and children here. She started a women's coop, three libraries and a chldren's art program which became the biggest part of her legacy.

Today, Ajijic is an art village with lots of art galleries and walls filled with incredible murals. Most of the artists here are part of Neill's legacy, either as students of her children's art program or as beneficiaries of art school scholarships she arranged.

This mural of the goddess of the lake is by Jésus Lopez Vega, one of Neill's early students and now one of the most popular artist/muralists in the area. Every week he works with the current generation of young artists in the LCS Children's Art Program, which also offers a summer art program.

Following in the footsteps of Neill James

Bette Brazel and I have decided to follow Neill's footsteps as she traveled through Mexico and learn more about this amazing woman. You can follow our journey through this blog and clicking on the Neill James tab at the top of the page.

If you have a story to share ... or know someone whose story needs to be shared, please email me at jwycoff at me dot com.

You can read more about my journey into art here.

To see more of my musings about life and art, you can read more here.