Chapala

**Chapala** is a ceety an municipality in the central Mexican state o Jalisco, locatit on the north shore o Loch Chapala, Mexico's lairgest freshwatter loch.  Accordin tae the 2005 census, its population is 43,345 for the municipality.

## Geografie
Chapala is 28 mile (45&nbsp;km) sooth-sootheast o Guadalajara, on Mexico Heich-gate 44.

### Climate




## History
Awtho thare are several theories as tae the oreegin o the ceety's name, the maist likely is that it comes frae Chapalac, the name o the last chief o the Nahuatl-speakin indigenous fowk o the region.  Chapala became a offeecial municipality on 10 September 1864, bi decree o the Jalisco State Congress.

## Cultur
In the late 1940s the famous American writer Tennessee Williams settled in Chapala for a while tae wirk in the play cried *The Poker Night*, which later became ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. As Williams explains in his essay "The Catastrophe of Success," Chapala affered him an ideal place tae wirk, "a remote place among strangers where there is good swimming."

Durin the first warld war, in 1915, Norse speculators intendit tae mak Chapala a luxury resort toun. A railwey is tae be biggit, wi separate carriages for black an white fowk. In addeetion tae the railwey, the speculators will an aw provide twa motor vessels tae trafficate the loch wi connections tae the ither smaw touns at the lochs borders. A first cless hotel is tae be biggit, likwise a automobile club wi attached casino. An extensive dam, 8 kilometers lang is tae provide dry laund wi plots for luxury dwellins. Wha the sharehaulders in the company, "Compania di Fromento di Chapala" receivit, wis anerly phographs o railwey carriages an locomotives. See the beuk; Gullfeber bi Kr.Fr.Brøgger, published in Oslo 1932.

Syne the 1960s, Chapala haes been frequentit bi baith Mexican an internaitional tourists. Amang the aurie's cultural attractions is mariachi muisic, for which the state o Jalisco is pairticularly kent. While mony fine mariachi bands hae been based in Chapala, the maist famous groups are based in lairger ceeties nearbi.  The maist famous mariachi in Mexico is Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, foondit in the late 19t hunderyear in the soothren Jalisco ceety o Tecalitlán, Jalisco, but nou based in Mexico Ceety. Awtho mariachi muisic is believit tae hae oreeginatit in the toun o Cocula, the greatest concentration o mariachis can be foond in the ceety o Guadalajara, locatit aboot 30 mile north o Chapala; it is considered the ceety that maist epitomizes the external concept o Mexico propagatit bi the internaitional mass media (characterisit bi *[[charro]]s*, tequila, sombreros, an mariachis). A warldwide mariachi festival is held thare each hairst, mariachis frae throuoot the warld (includin Europe an Asie) regularly pairticipate.

## Tourism

Chapala, alang wi its namesak loch, is well established as a weekend getawey destination primarily for indwallers o the ceety o Guadalajara.  Maist o the aurie's expatriate population (oreeginating primarily frae the Unitit States an Canadae) reside no in the ceety proper but in an aroond Ajijic, a veelage o approximately 5,000 indwallers locatit approximately 5 mile wast o Chapala.  Mony o thir residents, stay for a lang time, an try tae mak Chapala lik "home."

Image:Chapala Malecon.JPG|A Chapala view
Image:The beach at Chapala Malecon.JPG|The Chapala beach viewed frae the Malecon
Image:Chapala by the Malecon.JPG|Hotel bi the Chapala Malecon


## References

## Freemit airtins
* Fotos o Chapala