Tenacatita on the Costalegre

2012-01-12T03:59:00.000-06:00

Ron, Dora and I drove up over Christmas just to see and have a quick swim. This was the first time we'd been there since the closure. Guards at the gate want to see the drivers ID and confiscate any alcohol. Guards on the beach were pretty cool but won't allow fotos of anything but the beach itself. Probably about 40 cars parked along the beach road. People were having fun but it's definately not the place we've loved so much in the past. Remember there are no restaurants and no bathrooms.

Still a beautiful beach

Looking east

Looking west

Judges give hope to Tenacatita evictees

2011-10-15T16:18:00.001-05:00

From the Guadalajara Reporter - October 14th

A district judge who rubber-stamped the eviction of restaurant and businesses owners on Tenacatita beach last year was not qualified to issue the order, the Jalisco Supreme Court has ruled. The September 21 decision gives hope to dozens of families living in nearby El Rebalsito, who may soon be able to return to the beachfront land where they have worked for more than three decades.

The three Novena Sala (Ninth Salon) magistrates ruled that Guadalajara real estate firm Rodenas Inmobiliaria must now make reparations for all damages occurred when state police – acting on the order of the 2nd district court judge in Autlan – forcibly took over the zone in the early morning of August 4, 2010. The eviction resulted from Rodenas’ decades-old dispute over land ownership rights with the local Resbalse de Apazulco ejido.

Rest of the Article

Demonstration for Tenacatita in Long Beach CA

2011-08-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

The governor of Jalisco, Emilio Marquez was in Long Beach California and Diputado Salvador Caro and people from Temacapulin and Tenacatita were there to greet him. When they said they wanted to speak with him, he said he wasn't prepared for a conversation. They waited outside the Mexican Consulate, but he never came out - he left through another door.

Lorena Sahagun said (paraphrased) that he saw them and didn't have the guts to speak with them; but what counts is that he knows that they haven't forgotten.

PROFEPA tells Rodenas to take down the fence

2011-04-14T18:29:00.002-05:00

PROFEPA tells Rodenas to take down the fence (and more)

Posted by Dobie on April 14, 2011, 11:53 am

Last week representatives of SEMARNAT (Secdretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) delivered a document to Villalobos. It's 8 pages long, but these are the relevant parts: (a brief translation follows each part)

PROCURADURIA FEDERAL DE PROTECCION AL AMBIENTE.

Delegación Jalisco.

Subdelegación Jurídica.

Asunto: Acuerdo de Emplazamiento

Guadalajara, Jalisco, a 22 de febrero de 2011

Con motivo de la visita de inspección … (del 27 de octubre de 2010) … se emite el presente acuerdo que a la letra dice:…

PRESUNTA INFRACCIÓN ATRIBUIDA A LA EMPRESA "INMOBILIARIA RODENAS, S.A. DE CV.":

The letter is sent by PROFEPA stemming from a visit by SEMARNAT. From what I understand, SEMARNAT makes the laws and PROFEPA enforces them.

1.- Presunta violación … de Concesión número DZF-846/92 de fecha 05 de enero de 1993 el cual establece que: “’EL CONCESIONARIO’” se abstendrá de realizar cualquier acto que tenga por objeto tratar de construir playas privadas o impedir el libre acceso a las mismas,…)”…

The conditions of Rodenas' Concession says that they have to abstain from doing anything to impede free access to the beach.

"Para garantizar el libre tránsito por la zona federal y/o terrenos ganados al mar, 'EL CONCESIONARIO’ se obligué a establecer accesos específicos … y a, no levantar obstáculos que limitan la libre transitabilidad, 'LA SECRETARIA’ podrá determinar el establecimiento de uno o mas accesos procurando afectar lo menos posible los derechos de aprovechamiento que esta concesión otorga"

To guarantee free access, Rodenas can't put up any obstacles and the Secretary will establish access point(s) to ensure maximum access to the beach.

… la cual establece que: "Queda estrictamente prohibido delimitar la zona concesionada con cercas, alambrados. bardas, setos o cualquier otro elemento semejante que impida el libre tránsito peatonal por este bien federal. El incurrir en este supuesto seria cause de revocación de la concesi6n." (sic.)

The concession says it's stricly prohibited put up fences or whatever might impede free pedestrian access to the federal zone. Violation will be cause for revocation of the concession.

… toda vez que al momento de la visite de inspecci6n se encontró una caseta de vigilancia custodiada por elementos de la Policía Auxiliar y de la Dirección General de Seguridad Publica, ambas de la Secretaria de Seguridad Pública del estado de Jalisco, así como la instalación de una malla ciclónica con doble puerta con cadenas y candados que impide el libre tránsito o acceso a la playa de Tenacatita, lugar en que el transito a la Zona Federal Marítimo Terrestre se limita de forma discrecional. ya que al inquirir a los vigilantes al respecto del paso hacia la porción de Zona Federal concesionada al XXXX, quien es titular… de la Concesi6n numero XXXX, se inform6 que solamente el inspector podría acceder a la Zona Federal que se pretendía visitar, no así el propio XXXXX,…

Still, when SEMARNAT came to the beach on Feb. 22, the encountered the fences, chains, locks and the guard booth. They were coming to inspect another concession as well, but the guards would only allow the inspector from SEMARNAT and not the owner of the other concession.

MEDIDA CORRECTIVA IMPUESTA A LA EMPRESA “INMOBILIARIA RODENAS, S.A. DE C.V.”.

Deberá de acreditar ante esta Delegación de la Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente en el estado de Jalisco que se permite el libre acceso del público a la Zona Federal … en la playa de Tenacatita … y que no se utiliza medio y/o argumento coercitivo alguno para impedir el paso y/o libre tránsito de las personas por la dicha área. … (laza de cumplimiento: 5 días hábiles…)

Rodenas has to show PROFEA that they're allowing free access to the beach. They've got 5 days to comply.

The 5 days are up. Now the notary has to come to witness that they haven't complied. Then a demanda to PROFEA to act. This is a BIG step forward as it's the first time a federal agency has actually taken action (even if it's only the first step).

Sorry this is so long, but I know lots of people think nothing's happening.

dobie

Tenacatita Update

2011-03-23T06:37:00.000-06:00

Posted by dobie on March 22, 2011, 7:49 am

Unfortunately it appears that not much has changed at Tenacatita. The fence is still up, the gates are still closed, and access is still given very arbitrarily. At the last ejido meeting, a letter was read from SEMARNAT. Apparently they came to serve Rodenas with a fine for cutting mangroves and an order to replant the amount of trees that they had cut down. Unfortunately they weren't allowed in. On the legal front, the juicios (judgments) are starting to be heard. A new acuerdo (agreement) is being worked out by the government, ejido lawyers and diputado David Hernandez (the one who pulled the gate down with his pickup truck). It looks like they're trying to work something out before Semana Santa.

A reporter for a Mexican business magazine called PODER (POWER) was here last weekend interviewing people. She also had a 2 hour interview with Villalobos in Guadalajara. Her article is supposed to be done soon; she'll let me know when it's ready.

I know many people think the battle has been lost but I don't believe that. Villalobos hasn't started building anything - back in August he said that in 6 months there would be a hotel. The juicios are proceeding, which means many lawyers, judges, and engineers have been out to the property to see for themselves the destruction (although some have been denied access or told to come back another day).

La lucha sigue, Tenacatita vive

Gringo Day at Rebalsito Fiesta

2011-03-05T19:46:00.004-06:00

Gringo Day at Rebalsito Fiesta: a small town fights for its life
Friday, March 04 2011 14:22 Tina Rosa
Guadalajara Reporter article

This year El Rebalse de Apazulco celebrates its 68th birthday since the formation of the ejido in 1943. A sleepy little town on Jalisco’s coast, Rebalsito is known for two things: the nearby beach of Tenacatita and the annual fiesta, which in years past has stretched to six debauched days of birria, dancing and bull riding.

Los Amigos de Tenacatita set up a table at the entrance, selling bright yellow t-shirts with the Unidos Tenecatita “Tierra y Libertad” logo. The official fiesta kick-off is La Farola, the evening street dancing on Thursday, February 17. This year, the mass commemorating the sixth anniversary of the death of Juan Virgen Medina, better known as La Zeta, is the same afternoon.

The wooden benches of the small church are almost full, and vases of lilies, carnations and mums adorn four pedestals. A beloved ejido comisario and unifying personality in the civic life of this rancho, La Zeta is much missed, and his absence is felt even more profoundly six months after the infamous night of August 4, when, just before dawn, Jalisco state police and muscle hired by Inmobiliaria Rodenas forced Tenacatita residents out of their homes and businesses at gunpoint. Since then, the investment and development group has held the Tenacatita beach hostage, blocking the public road with a chain link fence and gate manned by armed guards, depriving access to the people who have worked at the beach for generations: Rebalsito’s fishermen, divers, restaurant owners, tourist guides, and storekeepers. The malaise of sadness and frustration that hangs over the town is palpable. The community has staggered along in an economic void, scrabbling for a living, and supported in part by a group of foreigners and sympathetic Mexicans, Los Amigos de Tenacatita.

Chely, the plump and attractive dueña of the former restaurant of the same name, has had to relocate to Melaque, where she and her sister struggle to get a new business up and running. But, she assures me, she will be in Rebalsito on the evening of La Farola.

“We have to dance off the bad stuff,” she explains, gesturing with her hands as though flinging off sticky mud.

Just at dusk, the giant horno inside the casino is already lit with a roaring fire of coco husks. The oven, large enough to seat nine or ten people inside, on chairs, gets so hot you can’t rest your hand against the adobe side – the test that it is ready to accommodate the ten or 12 clay casseroles in which the birria stews for about five hours. Chile, a Canadian member of our group, Los Amigos de Tenacatita, estimates it will be dawn before the oven is hot enough.

It’s been years since the ejido has cooked the birria here – normally it was contracted out. But on August 4, 800 people lost their livelihoods. Now, the economy dictates a return to the old ways – do it yourself. The situation is desperate, as one inhabitant tells me sadly, “The town is dying. When that many people lose their work, everyone’s business is affected. You can’t even sell a juice on the street.”

Ten foreigners who have camped at Playa Tenacatita for over 30 winter seasons are now refugees along with the locals who have been ousted from their beach. We’ve come to Rebalsito this winter to show support for our Mexican friends and pump a little money into the community. Camping in the coco plantation of our friend Dobie, an expat from California who is now a Mexican citizen, we’ve shared meals, dispensed food to the community, thrown a Christmas party for the kids, strategized, and funded paint for signs and banners to hang at the fiesta, proclaiming the harm done to this community. At the entrance to town a banner informs visitors, “Las Playas son para Todos, No Solo para los Ricos. Salvemos Tenacatita – es nuestra Patrimonio.”

In the evening the band trumpets a rousing opening, and the young and the very young form lines. Some of us older folks get roped in by friends. Violeta is the only adult in a long line of children, and Dobie and I are on the end of a cracking whip forcefully manipulated by a young, very strong hunk. The idea appears to be to gallop forward, suddenly reverse direction, and swing the people hanging on to the ends into oblivion, possibly trampling the line behind you in the process. Two blocks into it, I end up on my butt – for the first time – wrong sandals! The second time I fall, I let my partners lift me to standing posture and decide to fade quietly into the background.

At dawn, Friday Banda Perla Blanca is back at it, playing a raucous Las Mañanitas for the ejido’s birthday while a handful of young people dance in the street on the corner in front of Novedades Montserrat, a storefront painted a cheerful lime green and pink.

In passing, I pat the big horno. It’s stone cold – uh oh. Some guys in a pickup come along and slide the door open; the fire’s gone out. They try tossing in some kerosene, but it’s too far gone. This doesn’t bode well for eating this afternoon, but they seem unconcerned. And, sure enough, some how they pull it off and by 3 p.m. about 200 guests, a smaller group than any year previously, are sitting down to a meal in the casino, and the birria is pronounced rica!

Los Amigos de Tenacatita set up a table at the entrance, selling bright yellow t-shirts with the Unidos Tenecatita “Tierra y Libertad” logo. They are an instant hit, and soon yellow shirts bloom all over the open-air hall.

Couples dance vigorously to the very loud music, swaying hips in tight unison, the women flashing their stuff in tight jeans, glamorous blouses and stiletto heels, while the men, in requisite cowboy attire, propel them around deftly.

Though there’s a poor turn-out the first two days, everybody shows up for Gringo Day – we’ve got a rep for putting on a good feed with plenty of food and beer for everybody. The tradition started in the late 70’s when the gringos camped at Tenacatita were invited to join in and sponsor a day of the fiesta. The foreigners saw it as an opportunity to give back to the community and serve the people who spend all winter serving us in their restaurants, stores and hotels.

The place is packed, and immediately we are plummeted into the frenzy of dishing up plates and serving over 550 people – men drag the pots of stew out of the horno with long pipes with a metal loop at the end –and soon we glop rice on plates and scoop chunks of tender beef and sizzling juice.

This is the last night of celebration, and the Plaza de Toros Juan Virgen M “La Zeta” is packed with people sitting on the tiered cement bancos. On the flat upper levels the local babes strut in their impossibly high-heeled boots, and people chat and dance to La Banda Perla Blanca while venders sell cotton candy and balloons.

The first big band, Brisa Azul, (inexplicably dressed in yellow jackets, not blue ones) is setting up on the huge, brightly lit stage. When they launch into their first number the music is so loud my whole body throbs with the beat. Meanwhile, up here on the elevated promenade, Banda Perla plays on – it’s a battle of the bands.

At last the line of riders stride in to the middle of the arena, wearing fancy fringed chaps. After each cowboy is introduced by name and town, they all kneel to pray – this is a dangerous business. It’s not like long ago here when the “bulls” were more like calves that had to be prodded into doing anything at all. We’re soon to see some pretty powerful and scary action.

But before the first bull, the announcer invites Chile and MaryAnn and Dobie, as representatives of the foreign community, to come down into the ring, where each is draped with a red silken ribbon and thanked for their work. It’s a proud moment for all of us.

Later, after the bucking bulls and fearless cowboys have sent hearts racing, the featured band, Yahir, starts up, but it sounds just like the other band to me. We gringos have had enough, so we pack up our boxes and carry table and chairs back to Dobie’s truck. It’s been an exhilarating and exhausting day, and we all fall asleep to the sounds of the band drifting through the palm grove of the compound, glad to be here and be a part of this town’s celebration and of its struggle to survive. But so much more help is needed.

Ministerio Publico Accused of Freezing Accusations in Tenacatita

2011-02-13T17:41:00.003-06:00

Acusan que MP congeló denuncias en Tenacatita por órdenes de la PGJEJ

http://cronicadesociales.org/2011/02/10/acusan-que-mp-congelo-denuncias-en-tenacatita-por-ordenes-de-la-pgjej/#more-42052

The gist of the story is that about 50 denuncias (accusations) filed by the people evicted from Tenacatita are frozen by orders of the Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado. These are accusations related to the destruction and robbery of structures and personal property.They've been sitting in a desk in La Huerta and have gone absolutely nowhere.

Once again this shows that the state government and judiciary are doing everything they can to prevent justice for the people.

Who froze the documents?
Party boy, Tomas Coronado Olmos?
He's another long time friend of the Governor.
I have a new nickname for Villalobos. From now on I will refer to him as Tenacatita el Lobo.

Demand to know why the documents have been frozen. It is only when the entire story is known that justice will be served. I doubt if this will happen in Jalisco. The Human Rights Commission in Mexico has a reputation for witholding documents, lack of accountability, and/or transparency. I really think an International Human Rights organization needs to be notified.

http://www.hrw.org/en/node/62433/section/4

Good luck.

Camping Tenacatita 2011

2011-02-09T21:12:00.000-06:00

Idea for the adventurous or for some tour group. Hire a boat, camp over and bring whatever you need (including booze).

The area they stayed looks to be much further down the beach from the old palapas and snorkeling beaches

Tenacatita, Jalisco, Mexico, 2011

Hidden Camera Video

2011-01-01T19:41:00.001-06:00

Hidden Camera Video of an Encounter with the Police on Public Land In Tenacatita

Picnic Dec. 27th

2010-12-24T08:18:00.000-06:00

Just back from an organizational meeting for the picnic on Monday, Dec. 27. People will be meeting at Restaurant Cato in La Manzanilla at 10 AM. Boats will take people to Tenacatita beach. All the boats leave at the same time, so there will be a mass landing of at least 150 people. Several diputados are planning to attend as well as media people (reporters for radio, newspapers and tv).

We'll be bringing tacos and agua fresca, but everyone should plan to bring their own water and something to eat. Some tarps will be set up for shade and there will be a band, to add to the festivities.

This is an adults only, peaceful picnic. Remember: NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES!

See you there!
dobie

Juan Frost after a beach landing a few days ago

Tenacatita Picnic the 27th

2010-12-18T07:20:00.000-06:00

Amigos de Tenacatita, - by Juan Frost

As many of you know, the Jalisco state government, along with the Rodenas corporation violently grabbed Tenacatita this past August 4th ousting villagers, land owners, and tourists from their restaurants, homes, and palapas and blocking the federal highway that leads to Tenacatita. For months we have waited patiently for a resolution to this blatant injustice where a powerful businessman committed crimes against the townspeople of Rebalsito and was able to rob every Mexican of his constitutional rights by not letting people pass freely through a federal road and by not letting them land on the beach in a clear violation of Mexican constitutional law.

I am writing to invite you to a peaceful picnic at Tenacatita (fully supported by Rebalsito's town leaders) this December 27 at 9 AM starting from the town of Rebalsito. We will be entering Tenacatita through a back way and will be ferrying the public across a narrow stretch of the lagoon in undisputed territory and then march up the beach for a final gathering up by the restaurants. If the beach is open by then we will march up the road. People wishing to arrive by sea can join us. Foreigners who are a little apprehensive can show support by being in the bay with their boats.

All levels of the government are aware of the problem and yet gross civil rights violations are allowed to continue. They promised that they would open the beach by Christmas to allow the villagers to be able to sell some things on the beach to help alleviate the stranglehold poverty now has on this village. The concession of opening the beach, even if it did happen, is more of a slap in the face than anything else since there will be no camping, people will only be able to sell things out of carts, and there is no infrastructure like bathrooms now that they have leveled them with heavy machinery. I can't imagine anyone will want to come from very far if you can only be there during the day. Useless if you are from Guadalajara. This move is just propaganda to say it is open. The conditions cripple any possible step forward.

On another front, ecological and cultural problems at the beach are intensifying. We have received credible reports of mass baby turtle deaths and while Rodenas is probably not responsible for causing them directly, they are not permitting the usual people who protect these hatcheries every year to do their job. Americans visiting Rebalsito also discovered a second ecological tragedy and were able to take photographs. They described a dead cow with over thirty dead vultures around it on the road where the old airport was. It isn't clear if the guards shot these animals or if they poisoned them but the massacre of dozens of these important animals is an ominous sign of the Rodenas style of wildlife management. The locals would never hurt these birds because they have no food value and because they understand that the removal of carrion is critical for the towns' health. Another dramatic development is that after all of Villalobos' talk about how the restaurants were polluting the region, his own guards are going to the bathroom outside after managing the hotel's septic tank system proved too challenging for them. On the cultural front. The people of Rebalsito set off a couple of days ago on their annual march with the Virgin Mary which starts at the church of Rebalsito and ends at the beach for the important blessings that she bestows upon the vessels and people. This year she got to the gate flanked by a peaceful group that included many children. The procession was stopped at the gate and not allowed to enter in a move that is low even for Villalobos.

Meanwhile in Rebalsito, a dedicated team of foreigners with Tenacatita in their hearts is continuing to work with the locals to provide staple food supplies to those most affected by the beach closure. We are inviting the general public to peacefully assemble in Rebalsito on December 27 by 9 AM. I know that foreigners are a little apprehensive about these sorts of things but this is really important and it could be your rights that someone chooses to take next. If you don't want to land fine but please join us in your boat or donate to the cause. If the beach is opened, we would all meet at 9 AM in Rebalsito anyway and march down the road to Tenacatita. We have to make sure that Tenacatita stays in the national spotlight. I will be arriving in the area next week and will be working on bringing the voices of the people to the media in English and Spanish and will be pushing this important issue into the United States media.

I hope you will forward this invitation to as many people as you can and that you will join our group here:

http://cyberpueblo.com/group/tenacatita

Please participate. I know we can reverse this injustice, we just need your help. I will be sending another letter as the date gets closer with more details.

Paz y bien,
Juan Frost
Cyberpueblo.com

November 30th video of Tenacatita beach

2010-12-16T07:59:00.000-06:00

From Dobie:

Sorry to report that the gate is still there. Yes, the beach is open if they feel like letting you in, and you show your I.D. (so they can write your name down) and you don't take a camera or a cell phone, and they'll watch you the whole time, and there are no services, and, and, and....

In yesterday's Jornada article it says that Villalobos "could" sign the agreement this week, (which would open the beach, but with many conditions) and then he would have 5 days to get his guys out of there, or at least only on his supposed 42.5 hectares. But the conditions include days use only, no camping, no one can build palapas or open restaurants, only vendedores ambulantes (with permits, of course). Doesn't sound much like free access to me. Most people here think it's unacceptable; others feel like it's a first step.

Mesa de Dialogo

2010-11-24T07:43:00.000-06:00

Posted by Dobie on November 23, 2010

Hi -

We left at 11:00 pm on Sunday for another all night bus ride to Guadalajara, for the mesa de dialogo that the federal diputados were planning for noon on Tuesday (Nov. 22). About 75 people from El Rebalsito attended the event, along with maybe 100 (or more) others. It was quite a big deal - tarps set up for shade, a low platform for the diputados, several big tv screens that showed 2 videos from Tenacatita (including the one from the day the diputados came and pulled down the fence); the diputados had boxes with thousands of bumper stickers - EMILIO Regresenos Tencatita (Emilio - Give us back Tenacatita) and fliers. Before the event started we were in groups on all the nearby street corners - handing them out as vehicles stopped for red lights, and to people passing by.

There were 7 federal diputados (from 3 political parties - PRI, PRD and PAN), one local diputado and a representative of the Human Rights Commission. No one from the governor's office came (even though it's right across the street), and he said that he never received an invitation. But the diputados had a copy of the letter inviting him and with a stamp and signature showing it was received by his office. SEMARNAT (environmental agency) sent a letter saying they couldn't send anyone but supported the diputados in opening the road and the beach. And no surprise, no one from Rodenas showed up. So how can you have a dialogue, when two of the main parties involved aren't willing to meet?

For the first time since the desalojo, I think everyone felt like the diputados really understood, and really wanted to see justice prevail. Each one spoke to a different effect of the desalojo, from the loss of homes, belongings, jobs, a whole way of life, to the insecurity, the lack of peace and justice, the effect on the children, to the condition of the state of Jalisco, where the governor is incompetent and does whatever he wants.... They were quite impassioned and almost all mentioned that this was a political issue, but not a partisan one. That the commission (composed of 10 diputados) wanted to uphold the constitution and the laws of Mexico, and they would take the issue to the Supreme Court if necessary. One lamented the fact that we came all the way from El Rebalsito, and no one from the governor's office would cross the street to take part in the dialogue.

There were two very welcome pieces of news. One is that the government of La Huerta is going to get the concession to the beach (and the ocean beach), and soon. The other is that the diputados assured us that the beach will be open in time for Christmas vacation so that people can come and camp and enjoy the beach, and everyone here can get back to work, however they can - setting up tarps, umbrellas, whatever... You can imagine how happy everyone was to hear that news! It's changed the whole vibe of the town. Everyone feels more hopeful

Tenacatita Trouble Videos

2010-09-19T07:52:00.001-05:00

A video about the recent trouble in Tenacatita and how you can help.

Cyberpueblo.com

Don't privatize the beaches of Jalisco

2010-09-03T18:48:00.000-05:00

Don't privatize the beaches of Jalisco
Don't privatize the beach of Tenacatita

Slice of paradise becomes nightmare for Canadian

2010-08-29T17:53:00.001-05:00

Slice of paradise becomes eviction nightmare for Canadian in Mexico

Surrey resident Siegfried Schiffmacher purchased land near the beach in Tenacatita, Mexico, for $30,000 in 2006, but is unable now to access the property because of a titling dispute. He thought the title was good because it was endorsed by the Mexican president's office.

Photograph by: David Agren, Postmedia News

LA MANZANILLA, Mexico — Siegfried Schiffmacher thought he had found an idyllic slice of paradise in 2006 when he purchased a large lot at Tenacatita, a spit of land in Mexico with spectacular oceans views to the front and a calm bay with clear water and a golden-sand beach to the back.

He thought he had found a sound investment, too: The 1,007-square-metre property — once part of a communal farm known as an "ejido" — came with a title validated by then-president Vicente Fox.

Those illusions were shattered Aug. 4, when more than 150 state police officers raided Tenacatita, acting on an eviction order won by a Guadalajara-area businessman, Andres Villalobos, who claimed title to 42 hectares of land — including Schiffmacher's lot — that he purchased in 1991 from the widow of a former Jalisco state governor.

"When you buy with a title signed by the president, it feels secure," said Schiffmacher, a retired telecom entrepreneur from Surrey, B.C., whose wife, Margarita, is a Mexican national. "We never thought this would happen."

Schiffmacher's plight highlights the perils of investing in paradise and, he estimates, affects at least 15 Canadians.

It also highlights the problem of purchasing in a country with lingering conflicts over land and titles — two key grievances that fuelled the Mexican Revolution, the centennial of which is being observed this year — and how these unresolved squabbles are affecting foreigners a century later as they move south in increasing numbers and unwittingly into areas with histories of property disputes.

Complete Vancover Sun Article

Tenacatita desalojo informacion

2010-08-24T08:58:00.000-05:00

March for Tenacatita in Guadalajara

2010-08-17T15:08:00.002-05:00

March for Tenacatita in Guadalajara

Around 1,000 people march on the state palace in Guadalajara to protest the land takeover at the Tenacatita beach by a wealthy businessman.

Recent foto of restaurant destruction

2010-08-16T17:00:00.001-05:00

Recent foto of palapa restaurant destruction in Tenacatita

The Rodenas company bulldozers destroyed the buildings of residents of Tenacatita, municipality of La Huerta, Jalisco, who were evicted last week

Picture by Campos Arturo Cedillo

More from the Guadalajara Reporter

2010-08-07T11:36:00.003-05:00

State police evict homeowners in beach community of Tenacatita

Villalobos has been trying the get the low-income families evicted from the land for two decades, ever since he purchased 42 hectares of Tenacatita beachfront land from the wife of a former state governor in 1991. (He apparently obtained the federal beach concession rights in 1993.) Many of the businesses on the undeveloped beach are palapa seafood restaurants that have been serving tourists and locals for more than 40 years.

Francisco Martinez Flores, the ejido (local land commune) commissioner for El Rebalsito, said the ejiditarios own the 42 hectares and have the land titles to prove it.

La Huerta Mayor Carlos Ramirez Nuñez called the eviction "unfair" and said municipal authorities would do all in their power to help the families return to their homes.

But if they get ever back to their homes and businesses, there may be nothing left of them. After the families left in pick-up trucks with their belongings – some making as many as 10 trips to and from the highway – police brought in heavy machinery, presumably to demolish the palapa huts and homes, and blocked the only road leading to the beach. None one was allowed in without an "official" escort. Both the La Huerta municipal secretary and a Puerto Vallarta-based Jalisco Human Rights Commission observer had to give up their cellphones and cameras to police before they were allowed to enter the area, according to reports from Spanish-language daily Milenio. La Huerta municipal cops who turned up to provide "additional security" were also barred from entering. The area resembled "a war zone," commented one foreign resident at the scene.

Guadalajara Reporter article

Tenacatita eviction

2010-08-05T11:58:00.000-05:00

Wed, 04/08/2010 - 12:06

Guadalajara .- In an operation that began early this day, dozens of riot elements of the State Bureau of Public Security have carried out the eviction of residents from the beach of Tenacatita in alleged support of the rights of the Real Estate Rodenas, which headed by businessman Jose Maria Andres Villalobos, which currently has enraged those affected, denounced Salvador Magana, a former member of the council of La Huerta.

"There are at least 800 people affected among fishermen, restaurateurs and merchants, is the third time in 20 years that an eviction is violent, but people are not willing to be put in relief the PRD militant.

This is a surprise with only elements operating state, on the side of the City of La Huerta, no surprise and concern. According to the activist told him, the municipality has requested support from police in other municipalities to ensure the security of the population, but farmers are outraged, and analyze federal block the road to avoid consuming eviction.

Those affected are in possession of the area since 1960. Then the small landowner neighbor was the former governor Jesús González Gallo, who always respected them. In 1991, the president's widow, Paz Gortázar, sold the estate was left to businessman Jose Maria Andres Villalobos, owner of the property Rodenas. The following year, the fishermen had their houses burned by a party of rural allegedly the service of his opponent. The key to what they suffered is that in 1993, the federal maritime-terrestrial zone, which traders had held since almost 25 years ago, he was awarded the real estate entrepreneur, being the owner of the neighboring properties, but ignoring disregard of a concession granted to Francisco Montelongo Aguayo, one of the restaurateurs of the site. Based on that element, Rodenas denounced the arrests and led landholders in 2006. And now the facts are repeated, with the general indignation.

Agustin del Castillo

Kids playing on the beach

2010-06-04T12:35:00.000-05:00

Tenacatita is a great beach for kids - and adults

Tenacatita YouTube Slideshow

2010-01-02T17:33:00.000-06:00

Tenacatita, Jalisco, Mexico is a few kilometers north of Melaque. Beautiful beaches, snorkeling and seafood restaurants.

Tenacatita Lot For Sale

2009-12-23T11:06:00.013-06:00

This lot is actually in Agua Caliente about a mile from highway 200 and less than 10 minutes from Tenacatita. Large lot, close to an acre. Back from the river road and elevated. Lots of trees and view of the river. The house could be completed but not ready for a second story. The lot extends up the hillside behind for a total view of the valley.

This is my friends place and he's asking $25k US - firm. You can contact Bill at - bill.hwk [AT] gmail.com

View Larger Map

Click Here for more pictures of the Property

Raicilla factory and Showroom

2009-11-20T15:59:00.007-06:00

A few months ago when Elke had a friend down from up north we piled in the car with Marcos for a trip to Tenacatita and to also check out Bill's lot in Aguas Caliente which is on the old Tenacatita road. Bill's place was totally over grown so the fotos were ineffective.

Off we headed for the beach and found the Raicilla distillery open in El Rebalsito and none of us had taken the tour. Really a neat setup with the whole process on display even though they don't make the liquor there. The display is more primitive than that actually used. They also tell you the difference between Green Agave grown on the coast and Blue Agave grown in the highlands. This is supposedly the Agave used to make Raicilla (a type of mezcal).

After tasting the free samples we were off to a day on the best beach on the Costalegre

Raicilla factory

Raicilla factory guide

Tasting the free samples