Farmers from San Vicente de Los Planes ejido are fighting to protect 584 hectares of land from a mega-tourism project backed by a foreign company and a controversial court ruling.
Farmers in San Vicente de Los Planes, Baja California Sur, are locked in a 22-year battle to defend their communal lands from what they call an aggressive land grab by Boca de la Salina, the company behind the controversial Península de los Sueños mega-tourism project. The conflict centers on 584 hectares of coastal land along the Gulf of California, part of a total of 1,750 hectares granted to the ejido by presidential decree in 1968.
According to Lourdes Márquez Moyrón, president of the ejido commission, the conflict escalated after the Superior Agrarian Court (Tribunal Superior Agrario, TSA) ruled in favor of the company on January 31, 2024. In response, the ejido filed a juicio de amparo—a constitutional injunction—arguing that the decision violates their agrarian rights.
“This is not just about land,” said Márquez Moyrón. “It’s about the lives and futures of over 2,000 families who have legally settled and developed these lands since the early 1990s.”
The ejido asserts that Boca de la Salina, with alleged support from previous state and municipal administrations, is attempting to nullify three property titles issued in 1993. These titles, granted after reforms to Article 27 of the Constitution allowed ejidos to sell communal lands, were used to establish homes and infrastructure for thousands of residents.
Epigmenio Trasviña, legal representative for the ejido, said the attempted boundary relocation is at the heart of the dispute. “By shifting the boundary lines, the company is effectively trying to erase our legal claims and seize 584 hectares and over 5,000 meters of beachfront,” Trasviña explained. “This threatens not only our property but the social structure of the entire community.”
The Península de los Sueños project, located about 50 kilometers south of La Paz, is one of the largest proposed tourism developments in the region. The plan envisions luxury villas, condominiums, hotels, a marina, golf and soccer fields, and even a private airport—all designed to cater to high-end tourism. Its location near the beaches of La Ventana and Punta Arenas makes it a highly coveted area for investors.
Despite the project’s grand vision, environmental and social concerns have cast a long shadow. In 2015, Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) recommended against approving the development due to its potential impact on the fragile coastal ecosystem. Nevertheless, Boca de la Salina has pushed forward, and the ejidatarios claim that the company continues to act as though approval is inevitable.
“They’ve had the red carpet rolled out for them by past administrations,” said Márquez Moyrón. “Their representatives were welcomed at government offices and the Punta Arenas hotel, while our people were ignored. It’s a betrayal. These politicians chose private profit over public welfare.”
Ejido leaders say they are determined to defend their rights and land allocations, granted over five decades ago. They accuse authorities of a pattern of favoritism toward the foreign-backed consortium and of ignoring social justice in favor of economic gain.
The social consequences of the potential dispossession are already being felt. Many residents fear that losing legal recognition of their properties could lead to mass displacement and the collapse of a closely-knit community built over decades.
“What’s at stake here is more than beachfront property,” Trasviña said. “It’s a way of life, the legacy of a land grant meant to ensure security for generations. We will continue to fight through the courts and beyond.”
As the legal battle continues, the case has become a flashpoint for broader concerns in Baja California Sur about unchecked tourism development and the erosion of ejido rights. With land values along the Gulf of California soaring, local communities face mounting pressure from investors seeking prime real estate for luxury projects.
For the ejido of San Vicente de Los Planes, the fight is far from over. Their amparo remains under review, and leaders vow to continue resisting any attempts to dispossess their lands, calling for national attention and solidarity in their decades-long struggle.
