Rancho Correcaminos - Lots on Lago Atotonilco The above picture is of our lot on Lago Atotonilco, sometimes called Laguna Atotonilco. We bought the 1,000 square meter lot for 100 pesos per square meter (about $9.17 U.S. at current exchange rates), paying only 6000 pesos ($550 U.S.) down with monthly payments of 3000 pesos ($275 U.S.) for 34 months -- interest free!
Laguna Atotonilco is located about 20 kilometers northwest (as the crow flies) from the town of Jocotopec on the west shore of Lake Chapala. It took us nearly an hour and half to drive from Ajijic, through the mountain pass behind Jocotopec, across the major highway that leads to Guadalajara to the north, or Colima to the south. The town of Villa Corona is on the north end of the long, narrow lake, and is known for its hot springs and associated recreation areas. Midway down the west side of the lake is the little town of Atotonilquillo, and at the south end of the lake is Ranch Correcaminos (Spanish for Roadrunner Ranch). The subdivision is flat land, only a couple meters above the lake level. There is a broad 'Federal Zone' of two or three hundred meters that is protected from development, between the subdivision and the lake. This is the extreme south end of the lake, so while there is water visible now, it may withdraw even further during the dry season, or approach much closer if we get a very wet season. As might be expected for land at this price, there are no utilities available yet. The developer promises electricity will eventually be put in, but nothing else. The architect associated with the project says there are small sewer-treatment units suitable for single households, which he recommends to avoid polluting the lake's water. Households will have individual wells also, which should not be too expensive since the water table in only a few meters below the surface. For my wife and I, we plan to build a 'casa de campo' -- a small cottage for vacation use. With the climate we have it should not be difficult to build an ecological-friendly house powered by solar energy. I see this property as a good long-term investment, as when all the 80-some lots are sold, it will, I suspect, begin increasing in value. The owner has nearby properties that may be added to the project later as well. This is not everyone's cup-of-tea, but if you like wild-life, a sparkling lake with majestic mountains in the distance, and have the vision to develop it in an ecologically friendly way, this could be a great opportunity. I'm sure long-time Mexican residents reading this have one question -- is it Ejido? Well, technically the answer is yes, but the developer assures us that the paperwork is underway to convert it into real property, a process that should be complete in about a year (and prices may well be raised at that time). We know such promises are of no value, so we had a clause added to our contract to the effect that our money will be refunded if the land has not been converted to real-property instead of ejido, by the time we finish payments. The vendor is confident enough in his ability to get that paperwork through channels that he had no objections to adding that clause. The contract was written and endorsed by a notary (which in Mexico is above mere lawyers, the notaries are appointed for life and responsible for all land transactions, as well as other legal matters). We researched the notary on the Internet to make sure he was legit. As is typical of Mexican land transactions, we, as buyers, were responsible for paying the notary's 1000 peso fee (about $92 U.S.) I'll be posting some more pictures here over the next few days ... If you are interested in this, I can put you in contact with the seller (or act as translator if you are not fluent in Spanish) -- just call Andy; from the U.S. dial 011 52 376 765-7466; within Mexico it is 01 376 765-7466; and of course from Chapala or Ajijic you just dial the last seven digits of that number. Or you can write, using our contact form. CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW: View across the road closest to the lake, showing lake and mountains beyond: During the first week of April 2008 I did some amateur soil-testing at our lot. As you can see from the photos, vegetation is sparse, a few mesquite trees, some cactus, prickly little grass-like sedges, and those orange flowers, whatever they may be. The combination of over-grazing in the past, a monsoon-style weather pattern that means most of the rain falls in just four months (June-Sep), leaving eight months drought each year, and lacustrine soils (the entire basin between mountains is an ancient lake-bed), means the existing soil is not very productive. I dug a small hole and tested some of the soil from a few inches below the surface for pH, using phenol red. The soil is alkaline, about 8.5 on the pH scale. Next, I poured some water in that hole, to check for permeability. This time of year the soil is very dry, but it is fine and highly compacted, so the water was slow to drain. Four inches of water took about 25 minutes to drain into the dry soil. I re-filled the hole a second time, and after 20 minutes it was only half empty -- we left before it drained completely. As for soil composition I took a sample home and did a simple water serration test. The soil is silty-loam, about 16% clay, 55% silt, and 29% fine sand. There are very few (if any) stones near the surface. Vegetal material was present, but sparse. No insects or other organisms were observed in the soil sample. People on other lots have already begun planting trees, mostly junipers, and the developers have lined the center of the boulevard-like roadways with large palms. Both types of trees should do fine if they are watered enough during the dry season. To grow plants that are less alkaline-tolerant, the soil needs fertilizing with manures, which will help raise the acidity, and of course constant watering during the dry months.
One lot has a well on it already, and people were digging a large pit on another lot for a sewage-treatment device -- that open pit shows that there is no bedrock for at least the three meters they dug, and the soil is mostly silt or clays to that depth. In early April, at the height of the dry season, the water table is about three meters below the surface.
I walked out near the lake, there is now a large empty area of cracked-earth between the development and the lake, as is to be expected with such a shallow lake, during the dry season. Our lot borders the Federal Zone around the lake, and is currently about 300 meters from water. Of course in rainy season the water will come much closer (we will see, and report here, just how close it gets this rainy season). While walking I saw plenty of birds, and some rabbit tracks. About 50 yards from the water the ground begins to get wet and was too muddy to proceed any closer. It forms a nice view, but I don't think we will be swimming or boating in the lake, at least not directly in front of our property. The North end of the lake has several hills that come right up to the water, with hot springs and other developments. Property prices, of course, are about ten to twenty times as much per square meter there as we paid for this lot. Unfortunately, I don't have photographs of any of this visit because when I went to use my camera I discovered the batteries (and spares!) were dead. Ah well, next time... |
