Housing Boom in Barra de Colotepec
When we think of the Barra de Colotepec, what comes to mind is the main street with its houses and shops and the restaurants along the riverside. But that’s not even the half of it. In fact, the town (Agencia Municipal) extends from the river to the Punta of Zicatela and the cinema to the west, and, crossing the highway, it heads north past the Colotepec cemetery on the road leading to Santa María Colotepec.
What is truly amazing is how quickly this community has grown in the last few years. What was once farm land dedicated to peanuts, hibiscus, corn and sesame has now been subdivided into lots. Back in 2005, 35% of the houses had dirt floors, by 2010 that number had fallen to 5%.
There were only 697 inhabitants in 2005, by 2010 the number was 1,224, the population reached 2,525 in 2015. Older residents remember a time of self-sufficiency when money was only a means of exchange, not a necessity. Now, they say, campesinos who aren’t fortunate enough to own small businesses are forced to enter the labor market.
In February, we explored the community and observed new houses of all sizes going up. The exclusive, gated community called the Zona Ecológica is adding 26 homes. But we also visited six houses that had been built for low income families through Habitat for Humanity.
Meanwhile, the town center flourishes. Thanks in part to the contributions of winter residents, notes mayor (Agente Municipal) Lic. Hilario Figueroa Armengol, there are more cultural events at the Agencia and fiestas with bands and jaripeo rodeos. Turtles get released on the beach, and you might spot a crocodile in the river.
