Tulum Man Wins 5-Year Battle to Reclaim Coastal Property

Tulum, Quintana Roo — After a legal battle spanning more than five years, Víctor Manuel Chávez de la Torre has regained ownership of his property, Camping Chávez, located at kilometer 8.5 in Tulum’s coastal zone. The restitution follows a definitive ruling issued by the Fifth District Court in Quintana Roo.

Formal Handover of High-Value Property

The formal delivery of the commercially valuable land was carried out by prosecutors from the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), in compliance with a court order recognizing Chávez as the legitimate owner of parcel 1,780 on the western side of the coastal strip. The property had been illegally occupied by Jorge Caguachi Macarí through an alleged straw purchaser, Miguel Aburto López, who never appeared during the judicial proceedings.

Legal Process and Judicial Rulings

Sergio Antonio Sulib Arceo, Chávez’s attorney, explained that the original ruling was issued on November 28, 2023, by the Fifth District Court as part of the indirect amparo case 768/2020. The court affirmed Chávez’s rightful ownership of the disputed land.

Although the opposing party appealed the decision, the First Collegiate Circuit Court upheld the ruling on June 6, 2025, reaffirming federal judicial protection for the property owner.

"The First Collegiate Court once again granted amparo and protection to Víctor Manuel Chávez. The justice system recognizes him as the owner, and today the judicial order was finally enforced," the attorney stated.

Emotional Victory for Chávez

Chávez, visibly emotional, expressed relief at the resolution of the case. "After five years of legal battles, I finally got my home back. This is justice. I was granted full amparo, they appealed, and the Second Chamber also ruled in my favor. Today, the authorities complied, removed the seals, and returned my property," he said.

He acknowledged the intervention of the current State Attorney General, Raciel López Salazar, whom he praised as a strict and professional official. "With the arrival of the new attorney general, everything changed. He followed the judge’s orders to the letter. I wish every state had an attorney general like him," Chávez remarked.

Environmental Damage Reported

Despite the legal victory, Chávez reported severe environmental damage to the property, including the destruction of mangroves and displacement of wildlife.

"I wanted to keep this land untouched. There’s a cenote, monkeys, raccoons, so much biodiversity… but now everything is disrupted. They tried to take a piece of the original Tulum, and they nearly succeeded," he lamented.

Legal Precedent in Tulum’s Coastal Zone

The restitution of this property sets an important precedent for defending landowners in Tulum’s coastal area, where real estate speculation and illegal land seizures have increased in recent years.