If you’ve been dreaming this winter of finding an international cohousing community surrounded by palm trees with perfect 70-80 degree daytime temperatures, maybe you’re dreaming of Rancho La Salud Village (RLSV). As Mexico’s first cohousing community, RLSV is in a semi-rural location along the shores of Lake Chapala – Mexico’s largest lake – three miles west of the magical town of Ajijic and about an hour south of Guadalajara (Mexico’s second largest city) in the state of Jalisco. The Lake Chapala area for many years has welcomed residents from around the world, creating a wonderful blending of different cultures while still maintaining a Mexican cultural lifestyle – a perfect place to build “cohousing a la Mexicana”.

Jaime Navarro at RLSV entrance

RLSV was founded as a sustainable community in 2014 by Jaime Navarro, owner of this 3½-acre parcel of land located between the Sierra de San Juan Cosalá behind us to the north and Lake Chapala to the south. The original architect, Rick Cowlishaw from Harmony Village in Colorado, worked with Jaime to design a village that incorporates sustainable features into the homes and landscape.

Common Areas

On the extensive common grounds we have a large, open-air palapa where the community holds all dinners, meetings, and social events. Lake Chapala has one of the best year-round climates in the world and living outdoors is a huge plus, making the palapa perfect for all of our gatherings.

RLSV Palapa

RLSV Pool/Jacuzzi

In addition we have a 52-foot-long (16 meters) lap pool with salt-water system that is heated year-round to a comfortable 86-92 degrees when using the heat pump. Connected to the pool is a jacuzzi for year-round use, while adjacent to the pool is a large patio with loungers, umbrellas, and tables for residents’ use. On the common-ground land we have started growing a number of fruit trees for year-round production, along with keyhole-style gardening beds to grow vegetables and herbs. Upon completion of our walkways in the future we will be a walking village with resident parking inside our entrance gate and solar-powered golf carts to transport packages and people to our homes.

The common area includes a 3,000-square-foot future common house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms that is currently occupied by our founding member who plans to build his home at RLSV in the next few years.

Keyhole Gardens

Sustainability – Solar Power, Well Water, Biodigestors, Natural Ventilation

RLSV has its own water supply using filtered well water. Each home has an additional water-filtration system plus a reverse-osmosis system for drinking water. Large cisterns hold the water for each home that are filled with well water during the dry season. Then during the rainy season the rain water flows into the cisterns through the built-in catchment pipes incorporated into the roof of each house. Other sustainability features include passive and active solar on each of our all-electric homes, solar heaters for hot water, and biodigestors that use enzymes to turn each home’s black water into gray water, which feeds into our gardens.

In addition, every home is designed to reduce its environmental impact, including optimizing airflow through natural breezes, as well as taking advantage of natural light through skylights pitched to maximum position to penetrate the interior of the homes in the winter months and to reduce energy consumption. At an altitude of 5,000 feet, our temperate year-round climate of 70-80 degrees during the daytime means that most homes do not require heating or air conditioning.

House Design

RLSV homes are inspired by the Mexican colonial style and the colorful town of Ajijic, using traditional hand-built construction techniques and design features such as bóveda brick ceilings, Talavera tiles, and miradors. As each new resident joins us they purchase their lot and home that includes a percentage of the common grounds. Houses may be purchased after construction or they can be purchased on a pre-sale basis with residents choosing one of the approved RLSV styles to then be constructed. Each home is deeded and can be passed on to beneficiaries.

As of December 2024 we have six completed homes housing 12 residents, plus two completed homes for sale. One additional house has been purchased and is under construction. Another house is 90% complete and available for purchase now. There is still room for approximately 20 additional housing units to be built.

Community Activities

According to the official condominium bylaws required by Jalisco law, we have an annual meeting to approve the budget. However, the rest of the year we hold monthly business meetings consistent with cohousing principles such as modified consensus decision-making. We currently have monthly community dinners in the palapa and plan to have more as the community grows. A monthly sharing circle provides a space to talk about matters of personal concern not related to business, while a monthly Sunday “tardeada” is a social gathering in the palapa with no set agenda. Spontaneous gatherings are common, along with constant daily communication through WhatsApp. Our community’s simple mantra is “Somos Communidad” (We Are Community).

RLSV Community Members – 2024

Check Us Out!

Although we currently have residents ages 50’s to 80’s, we envision a multi-generational community in the future. As a multi-national community, we have residents from Mexico, United States, England, and Palestine as of 2024. We welcome all who have a desire to join us in our cohousing community. If you are at all interested in what we are creating at Rancho La Salud Village and are curious about what ex-pat life is like in Mexico, please contact us. We would love to arrange a talk with you, either through a video call or an actual visit, to see for yourself who we are here in our little corner of paradise.

Contact Information

• Marsha McMurray-Avila mcavila323@gmail.com   
• Janet MacKenzie chapalajuanita@gmail.com