Who We Are
The Colectivo is made up of residents from El Sargento and La Ventana and, more broadly, La Ventana Bay. Its primary goal is to give a voice to a community concerned about uncontrolled development that threatens the shared natural wealth that sustains us.
What was once a quiet community rooted in fishing and tourism has become a high-value area experiencing rapid growth without community consensus or participation. One of the consequences has been the privatization of public spaces—such as beaches—through blocked access points, destruction of public roadways, the construction of hotels disguised as private residences, water shortages, and inadequate electrical and sewage infrastructure.
The Colectivo seeks to defend the community and promote responsible development by placing the protection of our habitat at the center of future development, along with the legitimate and constitutional right to access and enjoy our beaches.
We invite you to join this important project. Here’s how you can get involved.
Why the Colectivo?
The Colectivo came together in response to community opposition against the efforts of a private developer from Guadalajara who sought to seize and privatize one of the community’s most valuable natural resources and assets—Playa Agua Caliente.
Alongside other members of the community and the Municipality of La Paz, the Colectivo has investigated the legal history of the historic public road—officially registered at both the national and state levels—that has served the community since the 1980s; studied the various public and private property interests in the area; and advocated before the community’s elected representatives in the municipality of La Paz. In recent years, the Colectivo has supported the efforts of local citizens to prosecute legal actions to protect access to and use of this beach.
The Colectivo supports the responsible administration of public properties adjacent to and providing access to the ZOFEMAT in order to protect and promote the public use and enjoyment of this public beach and the adjacent federal reclaimed lands.
In doing so, the Colectivo supports the pending application by the Municipality of La Paz to assume jurisdiction over the ZOFEMAT for conservation purposes. In addition, the Colectivo seeks to obtain jurisdiction (a concession) over federal lands (terrenos ganados al mar—TGM) adjacent to the ZOFEMAT.
If successful, the Collective hopes these efforts will serve as a model for protecting other public resources and promoting their responsible use and enjoyment by the community in the future.
Playa Agua Caliente deserves your support. Playa Agua Caliente, its historic public access road (the Historic Roadway), and the adjacent federal waterways (Arroyo Sotól and Arroyo Las Minitas) have been used as public resources by local residents for many decades. According to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) in La Paz, the Agua Caliente Historic Roadway is currently registered as a public road in the National Road Network, and the Municipality of La Paz has recently reaffirmed this designation as a protected public access route.
Generations of residents of La Ventana and La Paz have enjoyed its white-sand beaches and iconic hot spring pools, especially during Easter Week and other holiday celebrations. It is a major attraction for tourists and a driver of the growing tourism economy in La Ventana Bay. It has long been regarded as a public park—accessible to all and supported by the local community.
It has also hosted public events such as El Clásico de La Ventana, which benefited children from local schools. It is the last beach in La Ventana with adequate vehicle parking and direct access adjacent to, but outside of, the federal maritime zone.
In 2021, a private developer named Devangari purchased private land that included—and is subservient to—preexisting public assets such as the Historic Roadway. After its purchase, Devangari took steps to exclusively occupy—and exclude the public from—areas under exclusive federal jurisdiction, including the ZOFEMAT and adjacent lands reclaimed from the sea (“terrenos ganados al mar” or TGM). Devangari’s published plans include the development of hotels, commercial areas, residential lots, and other similar structures.
Shortly after purchasing the land, Devangari began taking repeated, illegal, and ongoing actions to block public access to Playa Agua Caliente via the Historic Roadway. They destroyed community-built palapas located in the ZOFEMAT, illegally occupied and excluded the public from the TGM, placed shipping containers on the public roadway, erected stone and wooden barriers to block access, spread false claims that the Historic Roadway was a turtle habitat—which it is not—and began unpermitted construction of buildings (fortunately halted by the Municipality).
When these actions forced the community to use the ZOFEMAT to access the beach, the developer dug trenches, dumped rubble, and attempted to prevent historical public use of these resources.
These actions represent a clear attempt to privatize this public beach for the developer’s own commercial plans. Unfortunately, such anti-public actions are becoming increasingly common in various communities across Baja California Sur. Citizen participation and action are essential to defend and protect the public’s rights.
Participants, with the Colectivo’s support, have filed legal actions to contest Devangari’s plans to privatize Playa Agua Caliente.
Your Support Keeps the Defense of Agua Caliente Alive
Every contribution strengthens our legal and community efforts to protect public access to the beaches of El Sargento, B.C.S.
We’re Here to Answer Your Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What Will the Donations Be Used For?
Is The Collective A Nonprofit Organization?
Yes. AYCP El Sargento A.C. is organized as a nonprofit civil association committed to the conservation and protection of public access to the beaches. The Colectivo has applied for formal recognition as a charitable organization—a “donataria”—which application is currently pending before Hacienda.
Can I Participate Even If I Don’t Live In El Sargento?
Absolutely. Anyone who wishes to support the defense of Playa Agua Caliente and the conservation of public resources throughout La Ventana Bay is welcome to join or donate.