The Guadalajara Reporter

Tenacatita beach checkpoint is torn down

After almost three years, tourists and locals are free to access the Tenacatita beach without being scrutinized by surly, armed security guards.

State police officers acting under the instructions of Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval on Sunday afternoon dismantled an illegal checkpoint blocking the only road leading to the pristine beach that had been erected by a Guadalajara developer in August 2010.

Although locals, as yet, are not permitted to resume their labors catering to tourists in Tenacatita’s federal maritime-terrestrial zone, they have welcomed the move as an important first step in wrestling back the disputed area from Guadalajara businessman Jose Villalobos, who has plans to build a luxury tourist development there.  

As part of the agreement to open access to the beach, La Huerta Mayor Julian de Niz has signed a document promising not to issue any kind of license or authorization granting locals permission to reopen their seafood restaurants or work in the federal zone. In addition, locals (and some foreigners) will not be permitted to reclaim their properties, at least until the legal situation is resolved.

“Although we’d like to see all the changes happen at once, so people can open businesses again on the beach, this is the first BIG step,” wrote Dobie Dolphin, an expat New Yorker active in the movement to reclaim Tenacatita land, on a local message board.  “The most important thing for us to do is respect the terms of the concession, which means use of the zona federal, although we’ve been asked not to go into any of the buildings. Once the terms of the concession (playa libre, recreo, malecon) have been satisfied, the mayor of La Huerta can submit a plan to change the concession, but for the moment, no permits will be available, which means no vendors on the beach.”

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