Barra de Colotepec
WHEN WE THINK OF THE BARRA DE COLOTEPEC (ALSO known as Barra 1, not to be confused with the Barra de Navidad, Barra 2, which is on the east side of the Colotepec River), what comes to mind are the main street with its houses and shops, the riverside restaurants, and the beach. But that’s not even half of it. In fact, the town, Santa María Colotepec’s only Agencia Municipal, extends west to the Cinema Zicatela and the Zona Ecológica, and north of the highway past the cemetery on the road to Colotepec.
Twenty years ago, the Barra was mostly agricultural land devoted to peanuts, hibiscus, corn and sesame. In 2005, 35% of the houses had dirt floors. That number fell to only 5% in 2010, according to census figures. Now much of the land has become lots for vacation homes, but the local culture is thriving. A new church is under construction and there are more and bigger fiestas at the Agencia and in the neighborhoods.
If you buy a lot, you must get an acta de posesión (see "Buying Property in Puerto Escondido") from the Bienes Comunales. To get the acta in a fraccionamiento you must present not only the information for your lot, but also a copy of the acta madre for the entire fraccionamiento. There have been cases where the original property turns out to belong to someone other than the developer.
