tonyburton Posted December 18, 2020 Report Share Posted December 18, 2020 I need your help please. Can anyone tell me anything the Hotel Laguna, Ajijic? The photo is by Belgian photographer Jacques Van Belle and dates from the late 1950s or early 1960s. Any and all information about the Hotel Laguna appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajijicbound Posted December 19, 2020 Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 https://lakechapalaartists.com/?p=4782 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyburton Posted December 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 ajijicbound - Thank you for adding the link to my blog post about Jacques Van Belle, the photographer of the image I'm asking about. Though relatively little is known about him, he certainly took some interesting photos of Ajijic. As for the photo I posted, I'm still hoping that someone can provide me some additional clues to confirm that "Hotel Laguna" really was the name at one time for the (old) Posada Ajijic. Was that what the Posada bar looked like back in the day? Whether it was or not, can anyone recognize any the people sitting in the bar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostlylost Posted December 19, 2020 Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 The old Hotel Posada was named Hacienda El Tlacuache by the Ramirez family, until it was renamed POSADA AJIJIC in the late 30's. A few rooms and a bar were added and it became a hotel. Nigel Stensbury Millett, a British author living with the Ramirez family, was the first manager. I never heard it referred to as "Hotel Laguna" . My memory from my first visit in 1970 isn't good enough to say if the photo is the Posada Ajijic bar or not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bowie Posted December 19, 2020 Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 Possibly the HOTEL BALNEARIO SAN JUAN COSALÁ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyburton Posted December 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 Thanks to all who have responded. Your help is appreciated. A couple of readers elsewhere have suggested that Hotel Laguna was one of the names used for the property better known as Quinta Mi Retiro (aka Hotel del General), which was located between the Old Posada Ajijic and La Nueva Posada. I think this is probably correct but would still be interested if anyone is able to confirm this (or recognizes any of the people drinking in the bar). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen of the World Posted December 27, 2020 Report Share Posted December 27, 2020 (2) Hotel Laguna | Facebook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyjillin Posted December 28, 2020 Report Share Posted December 28, 2020 19 hours ago, Citizen of the World said: (2) Hotel Laguna | Facebook Seriously!!!???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfa Posted December 28, 2020 Report Share Posted December 28, 2020 Tony, Sometime in the early 90s, my wife operated this hotel willfor a short while. Send me a PM and I will give you some names. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusMactavish Posted December 28, 2020 Report Share Posted December 28, 2020 Here is a much better picture of the place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostlylost Posted December 28, 2020 Report Share Posted December 28, 2020 3 hours ago, Alfa said: Tony, Sometime in the early 90s, my wife operated this hotel willfor a short while. Send me a PM and I will give you some names. Where was it located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#HarryB Posted December 29, 2020 Report Share Posted December 29, 2020 Old friends of ours said that the Old Posada was the only hotel in town in the 50s/60. It had the only phone and most of the people were hiding from the IRS / CIA or FBI🙃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajijicbound Posted December 29, 2020 Report Share Posted December 29, 2020 Here is an excerpt from an interview with Michael Eager. He says there were no other hotels. A very good interview. https://bestplacesintheworldtoretire.com/stories/mexico/my-life-in-mexico/my-life-in-chapala-ajijic-mexico/an-interview-with-michael-eager-about-the-unlikely-events-that-led-his-family-to-come-to-ajijic-in-the-first-place-and-then-to-b/ We ran it for 15 years and it was the local watering hole. There were no other restaurants, there were no other bars, and there were no other hotels, so if you wanted to know what was going on in the world you would go down to the old Posada and talk to some of the new hotel guests to find out what’s going on in the States or what was going on in Canada. Either that, or you would listen to my father giving his idea of the ideal world. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyburton Posted December 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2020 23 hours ago, Alfa said: Tony, Sometime in the early 90s, my wife operated this hotel willfor a short while. Send me a PM and I will give you some names. Thanks, Alfa - I have sent you a PM; I appreciate your help. Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyburton Posted December 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2020 Update: A friend of Michael Eager (La Nueva Posada Ajijic) lived next door to the Hotel Anita during his childhood and has positively identified the images of Hotel Laguna as Hotel Anita. It remains unclear whether the hotel was ever formally called Hotel Laguna or whether this was just the photographer's choice of caption. - A huge THANK-YOU to all who responded to this thread and for your ideas, suggestions and support. Happy New Year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyPanda Posted December 31, 2020 Report Share Posted December 31, 2020 Thanks for the research and the update to this little puzzle. Good to know. And where is/was the Hotel Anita, do you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyburton Posted December 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2020 5 hours ago, AndyPanda said: Thanks for the research and the update to this little puzzle. Good to know. And where is/was the Hotel Anita, do you know? On Calle Juárez, north of Hidalgo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringohombre Posted January 1, 2021 Report Share Posted January 1, 2021 1 hour ago, tonyburton said: On Calle Juárez, north of Hidalgo. Can you give us any present day landmarks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostlylost Posted January 1, 2021 Report Share Posted January 1, 2021 16 hours ago, gringohombre said: Can you give us any present day landmarks? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyburton Posted January 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2021 Juarez 30A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafemediterraneo Posted January 5, 2021 Report Share Posted January 5, 2021 I spoke with Lalo Ramos the town historian and showed him the photo and he said Hotel Anita between Hidalgo and Zaragoza on Juarez. Says it was there when he was a child....so I guess this mystery has been solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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