Trouble in Tulum with Mezzanine owner

[Ginger]

here is the story....very sad for him:

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[Jillian]

That is just awful! I hope everything works out for him in the end

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Ginger

here is the story....very sad for him:

Travel Video Television News

This same thing happened to Melissa at Casa Magna last week and Suenos Tulum last year. Somebody better get their sh*t together down there, fast.

[Tony&Cheri]

This is really sad and scary but of course with anything of this type, particularly in Mexico, there are subtleties.

Mexico is going through some amazing changes as it struggles out of the shadow of years of corruption. It's not an easy change, as witnessed by the current federal government's refusal to honor the longstanding relationship with drug lords and instead attempting to wipe them out.

As things change, the old guard lets go reluctantly and sometimes sees as last chance to make a grab for position, power or money.

Tulum, like Mahahual, is kind of a special circumstance. Title to land in Mexico is an iffy thing and particularly so in areas outside of the larger cities. Tulum in particular is a hot property because of the possibility of an international airport making that into a major resort zone.

And our experience has been that much of the title to properties along the Tulum beach are held by various families, locals, etc. and that the hotels, restaurants and beach clubs often simply rent the land. It gets a little crazy when a piece of property is owned by one person and another person builds a restaurant, a hotel, etc. on it. What happens when the lease runs out? Who gets the property? What happens if the property is sold and the new owner doesn't want to honor the previous lease? The hotel or restaurant owner cannot pick up his building and walk away. It's a very confusing and sometimes risky proposition. The lure of money (noting that a rustic cabana in Tulum now commands a higher nightly price than most hotels in Playa del Carmen!) draws not only investors who are willing to take the risk but also the predators who are equally willing to take the risk of being caught doing something wrong.

We hope the investors and business owners down there are protected by the government. The wheels of justice turn very slowly in Mexico but seem to ultimately play fair, the Playa Palms/Blue Parrot being an example.

We'll keep our fingers crossed.

[PlayaWithMe]

Originally Posted by Ginger

here is the story....very sad for him:

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Wow that really must have been scary for those guys......Sure hope everything works out for them.....We will for sure go by there on our upcoming trip......If you guys want to come along for a day down there you are more then welcomed.....We will have one of those big jeeps......

[Dan-0]

Tulum, like Mahahual, is kind of a special circumstance. Title to land in Mexico is an iffy thing and particularly so in areas outside of the larger cities. Tulum in particular is a hot property because of the possibility of an international airport making that into a major resort zone.

Excellent point about the "subleties" of the situation. It's an interesting and complicated story, as well as unfortunate one for the man involved in this case.

As I recall, Tulum has a long history of this type of land disputes. I don't pretend to understand ejido land laws, but I know enough to know they're very complex and must be approached with extreme caution, especially for foreigners. From what I understand, a lot of Tulum was once ejido land and, years ago, when Tulum was still a dusty crossroads on Hwy. 307, a lot of campesinos were given ejido land or had it sold to them at very low prices. My wife's family owned and operated a souvenir shop at the ruins back in those days and she grew up working there. She tells me that quite a few campesinos who worked the ejido land and earned the title to it became millionaires as their property values appreciated when Tulum grew into the thriving metropolis that it is today. I have been told that the title to ejido land has to be earned- in other words, you can't just take your land and sell it, you have to work it in order to earn the title and the right to sell it.

There was another high-profile land dispute in Tulum a few years ago involving some Americans who had bought beachfront property that was disputed by local residents. That case got real ugly too and the property owners ended up going to jail for a spell for defying a judge's orders. A couple of years ago, one of the cabañas, I believe it was Diamante K, was involved a similar property dispute after a man from north Mexico claimed that the property was ejido land and he held the legitimate title to it. I'm not sure how that case ended up.

Squatters can be a problem anywhere in Mexico, and it's a problem not only for foreigners but Mexican landowners as well. My mother-in-law owns commercial property in Tulum pueblo which includes a small vacant lot attached to the back of it. She's trying to get the money together to put something on the lot before squatters move in and claim it.

Through foreign eyes, it's easy to dismiss these disputes as simple corruption and attacks by "old-time Mexican gangsters". But, a lot of the "old guard" Mexicans, especially those of the PRI or PRD persuasion, feel like the Mexican Revolution was fought to stop Mexico's resources from being sold off to the hightest foreign bidder. They also feel that a lot of the reforms that took place after the Revolution are being done away with and they're not going to let them go without a fight. In their minds, the Revolution is still going on. Of course, a lot that is rationization for their actions. So, change is going to come slow and it won't be easy. This case is an example of growng pains, I guess.

[Michele]

We are seeing similar "title disputes" now in Puerto Morelos as well. The ownership of large stretches of beachfront is being contested. The dispute is not likely to end anytime soon, if ever.

[lovbuds]

That must have been so scary! Sure hope it all work out for them! Must drop in next time we are in Tulum and check it out.

[Cosmo]

Wow, sounds like the old west! Hope this works out in the owners favor...

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Cosmo

Wow, sounds like the old west! Hope this works out in the owners favor...

I just got in contact with "my guy on the beach" in Tulum, just to make sure he was OK. He said it would all be worked out...by a couple hundred machete weiding Mayans. Wild west indeed!

[Cosmo]

Glad he is okay, GO MAYANS...

Originally Posted by Michele

I just got in contact with "my guy on the beach" in Tulum, just to make sure he was OK. He said it would all be worked out...by a couple hundred machete weiding Mayans. Wild west indeed!

[PlayaWithMe]

Originally Posted by Michele

I just got in contact with "my guy on the beach" in Tulum, just to make sure he was OK. He said it would all be worked out...by a couple hundred machete weiding Mayans. Wild west indeed!

In who's favor?

[PlayadelSoul]

I am headed to Tulum, today, to scout locations. Will let you know if I run into any machete wielders.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by PlayaWithMe

In who's favor?

My money is on the Mayans!!

[Dan-0]

Yes, Michele, but whose side are these machete-wielding dervishes on? Almost all of the locals in Tulum are Maya.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Dan-0

Yes, Michele, but whose side are these machete-wielding dervishes on? Almost all of the locals in Tulum are Maya.

They are hired "guns" brought in by the business owners. It's happened several times in the past few years. My "guy on the beach" seemed pretty non-plussed about the whole thing.

[PlayadelSoul]

Originally Posted by Michele

My money is on the Mayans!!

Good thing I speak a bit of Mayan.