Colonia Colosio Founders Seek to Expedite Land Regularization in Mexico City Meetings

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A group of founding residents of the Colonia Colosio neighborhood traveled to Mexico City on Aug. 27 and 28 to push federal officials to speed up land title regularization, which they say has been stalled by decades of corruption involving state authorities and a state-owned developer.

Sonia López Cardiel, a board member of the neighborhood’s residents’ association, said the delegation met with Edna Vega Rangel, head of the Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (Sedatu), and architect Víctor Guzmán, director of the National Institute for Sustainable Land (INSUS).

López Cardiel said the meetings gave residents a chance to present their demands and argue that previous presidential decrees and agreements had been made without consulting them. Hundreds of families are still waiting for property titles, she said, despite a presidential decree issued four years ago that was supposed to resolve the issue.

“We know the state government has its own interests, and the people involved for decades will say whatever suits them,” she said. The group stressed that it does not represent investors who bought land for hotels or businesses, only residents who have held lots since the neighborhood was founded.

The delegation also met with Gerardo Ángeles, director of citizen participation at the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, who offered legal assistance. They later visited the office of Sen. Anahí González, who was away during the Senate recess; staff received documents from 55 residents still fighting corruption by Derimaya, the state-owned Riviera Maya development company.

The group also left a written request with Environment Secretary Alicia Bárcena to protect the Chen Zulub property, which residents say is part of Colonia Colosio and should be preserved.

López Cardiel said the residents have now covered all possible government channels and are seeking a direct meeting with the president. “We asked for a meeting with her because ultimately she has the final word and can put an end to the corruption we have suffered for nearly three decades of government,” she said.