Zona 13

About Zona 13:

Zona 13 takes up the south of the city and shares borders with zonas 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 and 21. Avenida Las Américas, the 65-metre-wide continuation of La Reforma, separates it from Zona 14. Avenida Hincapié follows the airport fence and carries on as the climb to Boca del Monte in Villa Canales, a stretch that has needed retaining walls and slope work and that backs up at peak hours. Transmetro Línea 13, the green line, stops at Los Arcos, Plaza Argentina, Plaza Berlín, Hangares, Fuerza Aérea and Acueducto before running through Zona 9 to the city centre, and at Hangares it connects with the TransPinula toward Santa Catarina Pinula.

Most of the zone was once Finca La Aurora, and what the state did with it explains what stands there now. The Escuela Nacional de Agricultura and a racecourse came first, the zoo opened in 1924 and the first airport terminal followed in 1936, while the halls built for the Feria de Noviembre under Ubico became today’s museums. The result is a cluster of national institutions within a short walk of each other: the Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno, the Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, the Museo de los Niños, the Museo de Historia Natural Jorge Ibarra and the Mercado de Artesanías. The old racecourse is now the Parque Deportivo Ecuestre La Aurora, and the Ministerio de Agricultura keeps its headquarters in the Edificio Monja Blanca on 7.ª avenida.

Avenida Las Américas is the zone’s front garden. It runs 2.6 kilometres from the Obelisco, the 1935 monument to the heroes of independence, through a chain of plazas that includes Plaza Argentina, Plaza Berlín, Plaza Colón and Plaza Juan Pablo II, with monuments to Bolívar, Benito Juárez and José Cecilio del Valle along the way. Every Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00, Pasos y Pedales closes it to cars and it fills with cyclists, runners and families. In Lomas de Pamplona, the Parque Ecológico Lomas de Pamplona gives the colonia a green space of its own.

Who lives here follows the map. Aurora I, Aurora II and Santa Fe are established colonias of single-family houses, many on streets closed by garitas. Pamplona has one-storey houses on narrow lots, while Cañadas de Elgin and Monte Azul draw families buying into newer gated condominiums. Near the terminal and along Las Américas the market leans toward renting, with frequent travellers, short-stay visitors and people who work around the airport as the main tenants. Buyers set the pace in the condominiums; tenants set it next to the runway.

Houses in Zona 13:

The older housing sits in Aurora I and Aurora II, on residential streets reached through garitas, and several of these houses have already been adapted as offices or small hotels. Santa Fe, along Hincapié, has similar houses closer to the airport’s cargo side. If you want houses for sale in Zona 13 with newer finishes, Cañadas de Elgin has three- and four-bedroom houses and townhouses with a study, a service room and brick façades, behind two garitas, with a clubhouse, pool and sports courts. Monte Azul, at the far end of Hincapié, sells townhouses and houses in two condominiums. Pamplona is where you find one-storey houses on narrow lots, close to Avenida Santander.

Apartments in Zona 13:

Apartment building in the zone has gathered along Avenida Las Américas. VIÉ Las Américas offers units from 39 to 99 square metres with one to three bedrooms, Vicinia Las Américas is another residential project on the avenue, and Américas 10 combines apartments with offices and shops. From the upper floors you look over the runway and, on a clear day, toward the volcanoes. Inside the Aurora colonias, apartments tend to be small units within or behind a house, often furnished. For apartments in Zona 13, the choice is between a tower address on the avenue and a quieter unit behind a garita.

Rentals in Zona 13:

Next to the terminal, renting is a large part of the market. Aurora I and II have furnished studios and one-bedroom apartments set up for one person or a couple who need to be close to the airport. Monte Azul offers townhouses and houses for rent with maintenance included. On Las Américas, whole houses are let as closed-door offices. Before you look at rentals in Zona 13, decide whether you need the airport side, the avenue or the Hincapié end, because the traffic on each is different.

Land and Lots in Zona 13:

Zona 13 is built up, so land comes as individual parcels rather than open tracts. Flat lots fronting Avenida Hincapié come up in sizes that suit commercial use or a small residential project, while Pamplona and the Monte Azul end of Hincapié offer smaller residential lots. Before you plan anything tall, check the building-height limits that civil aviation sets around La Aurora, along with the municipal zoning plan for the block. A lot here is worth as much for what you are allowed to build on it as for its size.

New Developments in Zona 13:

The newest projects sit on or near Las Américas. One off-plan development of two towers, at 16 and 17 levels, is scheduled for delivery in 2027 and sells itself on views of the volcanoes and the airport. Another presale spreads across three towers with units from 42 square metres, and VIÉ Las Américas belongs to the same wave of compact apartments. Cañadas de Elgin is the horizontal version: gated townhouses with a clubhouse and a private boulevard. Buying new developments in Zona 13 off plan means getting the delivery schedule in writing and checking what the developer has finished before.

Offices and Commercial Space in Zona 13:

Avenida Las Américas works as a business address as well as a home address. Houses along it are rented as offices, Américas 10 at Avenida Las Américas 8-42 mixes offices and commercial premises with apartments, and buildings such as Plaza Profesional lease office space. In Colonia Santa Fe, close to the airport’s cargo area, warehouse units on 9.ª avenida serve logistics and import-export firms. Before turning a house into an office, check what the colonia’s rules and the municipal licence allow.

Guesthouses and Small Hotels in Zona 13:

Aurora II has its own hospitality strip. Between 18 and 21 calles, houses a few minutes from the terminal now run as small hotels, bed and breakfasts and hostels for travellers who land late or fly out early. Some houses in Aurora I and II come onto the market already pitched for this use or for a boutique hotel. If you buy with that plan, confirm the garita rules for guests and vehicles and the municipal permit for commercial use first.

FAQ:

• How close is Zona 13 to La Aurora airport?

  The airport is inside the zone. From Aurora I, Aurora II and Santa Fe the terminal is a short drive, and some guesthouses in Aurora II are within walking distance of it. Visit a property at the time of the first and last flights so you can judge the noise for yourself.

• How do the Aurora colonias compare with the newer condominiums?

  Aurora I, Aurora II and Santa Fe are established colonias beside the airport, the zoo and the museums, with garitas on many streets and a good number of houses converted to offices or small hotels. Cañadas de Elgin and Monte Azul are newer gated condominiums with clubhouses and shared maintenance. If you choose Monte Azul, at the end of Hincapié, factor in the peak-hour traffic on the climb toward Boca del Monte.

• Can I get around Zona 13 without a car?

  Transmetro Línea 13 stops at Los Arcos, Plaza Argentina, Plaza Berlín, Hangares, Fuerza Aérea and Acueducto and continues through Zona 9 to the city centre. At Hangares you can change to the TransPinula toward Santa Catarina Pinula. On Sundays Avenida Las Américas is closed to traffic from 10:00 to 14:00, which is good for walking and cycling and worth remembering if you are moving house that day.

• What should I check before buying a house or lot near the airport?

  Start with height: civil aviation limits how tall you can build around La Aurora, and that decides whether a lot on Hincapié or Las Américas can take extra floors. Then check the municipal zoning plan for the block and, inside a colonia with a garita, the residents’ rules on businesses, guests and parking. Many houses here already work as offices or hotels, so make sure the use you are buying is the use the permits cover. Finally, confirm the title and any encumbrances at the property registry.

• Is Zona 13 better for buying or for renting?

  That depends on the sector. The blocks nearest the terminal and the towers on Las Américas lean toward rentals, with small furnished units and offices on offer. The gated condominiums and the houses in Pamplona are aimed at buyers, with family-sized homes of three and four bedrooms in the newer projects.