Santa Catalina La Tinta

About Santa Catalina La Tinta:

La Tinta, as everyone calls it, lies at the head of the Polochic valley in the east of Alta Verapaz. Senahú borders it to the north, Panzós to the east and Tucurú to the west, while the summits of the Sierra de las Minas form its southern boundary with Teculután, in Zacapa. From Guatemala City you take the Atlantic highway to El Rancho, climb the Verapaces road towards Tactic, and then turn down Ruta Nacional 7E through Tamahú and Tucurú. The same road carries on east to Telemán and Panzós and from there towards El Estor, in Izabal. Pickups shuttle between La Tinta, Telemán and Tactic, and trucks run passengers and cargo up to Cobán.

The town grew out of a gift of land. On 14 August 1896 Erwin Paul Dieseldorf, a German planter living in Cobán, deeded four caballerías to his workers, and the ground was registered as rural finca number 12 of Alta Verapaz. The Verapaz railway, which ran between Pancajché and Panzós until 1965, had a station here, and Barrio La Estación still carries the name. Because the railway made Panzós the important river port, the municipal seat moved there, and La Tinta spent the twentieth century as part of Panzós while its residents lobbied to get it back. Congress finally created the municipality of Santa Catalina La Tinta on 11 November 1999, by Decree 42-99, naming it after its patron, Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

This is where the lower valley comes to trade. There are three markets in the centre, cattle change hands beside the salón social, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays the main street fills with grain, cortes, ironwork and second-hand American clothing. Most families farm, with maize, beans, chile and plantain on the lower ground and cardamom and coffee on the slopes above town; cattle graze the Polochic flats, where sugar cane has spread since the Chabil Utz’aj mill moved to the valley in 2005. The caserío of Matucuy is known for its woven cortes, and the district hospital, opened in 1983, takes patients from communities far down the valley. The 2018 census counted 40,516 people in the municipality, about half of them in the town, and Q’eqchi’ is the first language of most, alongside a Poqomchi’ minority and some Spanish-speaking ladino families.

At this height the valley is hot and wet, and water decides where you should build. The Polochic floods after heavy rain: downstream at Telemán it has pushed into homes, and it has swept people away near La Tinta itself. Getting in is weather-dependent too, because landslides close stretches of the RN-7E between Tucurú and La Tinta in the rainy season until road crews clear them, and parts of the pavement have been undermined. Before you weigh the price of a lot, find out how high it sits above the nearest river or stream and ask the neighbours where the water reached in the last big storm.

Houses in Santa Catalina La Tinta:

Homes come up for sale in the barrios around the centre, among them El Centro, La Línea, La Estación, El Recreo, Campo Nuevo and San Benito in zona 4. Close to the market you will see houses with one or two shop fronts on the ground floor and the family living behind or above, a layout that pays its way on market days. When you look at houses for sale in La Tinta, remember that the older barrios stand on the land Dieseldorf handed over in 1896, so ask how the plot was split off and whether it has its own registration. Electricity reaches the town and many rural communities, and the town has piped water and municipal rubbish collection; out in an aldea, check each service on site.

Rentals in Santa Catalina La Tinta:

Rooms, shared houses and whole houses are let in the centre, some with electricity, water, gas and internet included in the rent. Houses with ground-floor shops are rented out as a single unit, which suits a trader who wants to live over the business. If you are moving to La Tinta for work, look for a house to rent in La Tinta within walking distance of the central park, since the market, banks and transport stops are all close by.

Commercial Property in Santa Catalina La Tinta:

The main street past the municipalidad carries the town’s commerce, and on market days the stalls spill into the road and block the traffic. Lots and buildings along it are offered for lease as well as for sale, including deep plots that run back 80 metres from a frontage of under 20, a few blocks from the market and the park. Banrural, Génesis Empresarial and a cooperative have offices here, and the shops, pharmacies, mechanics and ironworks along the street serve the surrounding aldeas. For a business, frontage on the main street matters more than size.

Land and Lots in Santa Catalina La Tinta:

New subdivisions have opened on the edge of town, among them La Nueva Tinta, which sells 20 by 20 metre lots with registered deeds, street access and financing, for either a home or a business. Inside the town, individual lots come up in barrios such as San Benito. Flat ground makes building easy here, but flat ground in this valley also sits close to water, so look at drainage and flood history before anything else. Ask any developer which services are already installed and which are only planned, and ask for the lot’s own registry number rather than a promise of one.

FAQ:

• How do I get to Santa Catalina La Tinta from Guatemala City?

  Take the Atlantic highway as far as El Rancho, follow the Verapaces road towards Tactic, then turn onto the RN-7E and drive down through Tamahú and Tucurú into the Polochic valley. In the rainy season, check for landslides on the Tucurú stretch before you set out.

• Is La Tinta part of Panzós?

  Not any more. It belonged to Panzós until Decree 42-99 made it a municipality on 11 November 1999. Papers drawn up before then may describe a property as being in Panzós, so make sure the current municipality appears correctly on the registration and the property tax records.

• What should I check before buying land in La Tinta?

  Two things: the river and the paperwork. Find out where the Polochic or the nearest stream reached in recent storms. Then, since the old town grew on one finca deeded to workers in 1896, confirm at the property registry that your lot was properly split off as its own property, that it is in the seller’s name, and that the measurements match what you walk.

• What kind of property is available in La Tinta?

  Mostly town property: family houses in the barrios, houses with shop fronts near the market, lots in new subdivisions with deeds and financing, rooms and houses to rent, and commercial ground on the main street.

• When are market days in La Tinta?

  Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with the busiest trade around the municipalidad. The town fair for Santa Catalina runs from 24 to 28 November.