Just in time for the Easter rush, parties are close to signing an agreement that will see the Tenecatita beach in southern Jalisco reopened to the public for at least 12 hours a day, La Jornada newspaper is reporting.
The popular beach has been closed since August 4, 2010, when state police, acting on the orders of a district judge, evicted hundreds of property owners from a 42-acre swath of land that many had been living on for decades.
Since then, the property has been fenced off and armed security guards employed by realtors Rodenas Inmobiliaria – who claim legal title to the land – have prevented access to the beach via the only road that cuts through the property.
The latest development would see the beach opened from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day (possibly until 9 p.m.), La Jornada reported Tuesday.
A committee comprised of representatives from Mexico’s Interior Ministry (Gobernacion), federal Congress, Rodenas, Tenecatita area businesses and the local ejido (the farm cooperative that also claims ownership of the disputed land) has been working to reach an agreement for the last six months, the paper said.
The accord would prohibit Rodenas or locals from constructing any edifice on beach – designated as federal land – but ambulant vendors would be permitted to hawk their wares to tourists. It also offers a guarantee to Rodenas that former residents – most of whom are now living in nearby El Resbasito – will not invade and attempt to reclaim their beachfront properties. Although the ejido is still fighting the ownership issue in the courts, Rodenas director Jose Maria Andres Villalobos says August’s court ruling is definitive and the matter is a closed book. He has indicated on several occasions that he plans to build a luxury tourist development on the site.
La Jornada quotes federal deputy David Hernandez as saying the agreement could be signed by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week and the road to the beach reopened within five days.
