Zona 14

About Zona 14:

Zona 14 covers some 540 hectares in the south of the capital, about 9 km from the Plaza de la Constitución. The 20 calle separates it from Zona 10 to the north, Avenida Las Américas runs down its western side with Zona 13 and La Aurora airport beyond, and Zona 9 touches its north-western corner near the Obelisco. To the east the ravine of the río Pinula marks the line with Santa Catarina Pinula, and in the south the boundary follows colonia Elgin and Avenida Hincapié to the Shangrilá bridge. The 5a and 10a avenidas keep to the city grid, while the streets closer to the ravine bend with the ground.

The zone grew from two very different places. La Villa de Guadalupe was settled from 1886 by farm workers who grew coffee and citrus, and part of it belonged to Zona 10 until the Municipalidad approved the current lines on 5 March 1972. The other half was Finca Las Conchas, owned by the Nájera family, which from 1948 was laid out as a residential area of large lots and plenty of trees. Avenida Las Américas takes its name from the founding of the Organization of American States in 1948, and Raúl Aguilar Batres, the engineer who drew up the numbered zones, refused builders’ pressure to make it narrower. Its plazas are named for countries of the continent, and at the southern end Plaza Berlín, built with help from the German Embassy, keeps sections of the Berlin Wall and a view of the Pacaya, Agua and Fuego volcanoes.

Offices, embassies and private clubs share the zone with the housing. Europlaza World Business Center, four linked 19-storey towers on 5a avenida finished in 1999, holds banks and international firms, and the American Chamber of Commerce is on the same street. Argentina has its embassy on 5a avenida, while Chile and India are on 3a avenida, and Hospital La Paz runs a Zona 14 branch. Sport happens mostly in private clubs: Club Los Arcos, the Futeca pitches, Club Delfines for swimming and the Asociación Guatemalteca de Squash. For all its towers, the zone counts about 36 residents per hectare, well below the city as a whole.

The money is not spread evenly. The most expensive homes sit in the residenciales near the Pinula ravine, while more modest sectors still live from small shops and the sale of farm produce. Renters are mostly embassy and consular staff, executives on corporate relocation and well-off Guatemalan families who put security first. Apartments make up most of the stock, and price per square metre sits in the capital’s top band, close to zonas 10 and 15; what sets Zona 14 apart is that its units are larger. Transmetro Línea 13 stops at Juan Pablo II, on Las Américas at 21 calle, and runs north to zonas 9, 4 and 1, but most residents drive, so time the trip to your office at rush hour before you sign.

Houses in Zona 14:

Houses are the scarcer product here, and many of them are older homes. In Las Conchas, lots run from about 335 to more than 1,000 varas, with 265 to 490 m² built, and some homes are sold openly as houses to remodel. Colonia El Campo has single-level houses inside a garita on lots of around 290 varas, with three or four bedrooms and a service room. The Condominio La Villa adds two-storey gated houses of about 260 m². When you compare houses for sale in Zona 14, look at the land as closely as the house, because in this zone the lot is often what the price is paying for.

Apartments in Zona 14:

This is where Zona 14 does most of its business, and the range is wide. Segheria, on 14 avenida in La Villa, sells two- and three-bedroom flats of 107 to 136 m² around a two-manzana private park with a pool and clubhouse, and is pitched as a way into the zone without paying avenue prices. Near Las Américas, L’Excellence has three-bedroom apartments of more than 300 m² with a service room, and towers such as Torre Carrá, ASTI and the Quinta Avenida building sit at the top of the market, some with two-level units of over 450 m². A large share of the offer is penthouses. Asking prices for apartments for sale in Zona 14 are often quoted in dollars plus taxes and timbres, so ask for the full figure before you compare.

Rentals in Zona 14:

Rentals are overwhelmingly apartments, quoted in dollars and often furnished. At the lower end you find older one-bedroom flats in buildings without a gym or full-time concierge; most embassy and corporate tenants land in established towers with 24-hour security, a pool, a gym and parking included. Larger two- and three-bedroom units with terraces and volcano views form the next step, and penthouses and furnished houses sit above that. Houses for rent are much fewer than flats and cost more than the typical apartment. Check whether the condominium fee is inside the rent and whether the lease is written in dollars or quetzales.

Land and Lots in Zona 14:

Empty land is rare, so plots come up mostly as land with an old house on it. Smaller lots in La Villa are offered to investors by the square metre, and larger parcels of more than 1,200 varas are priced by the vara, sometimes on the condition that the buyer pays with their own funds rather than a bank loan. Much of the new building in the zone goes up on plots like these. Before you price land for sale in Zona 14, ask the Municipalidad what height and use the lot allows, especially near the Pinula ravine.

New Developments in Zona 14:

New towers keep rising along the avenue and in La Villa. Valtaro is a 29-storey tower of 89 two- and three-bedroom apartments around a garden of more than 900 m², Opera, by Europlaza Group on 5a avenida, offers three- and four-bedroom units of up to 432 m², including garden flats and penthouses, and Torre Ferrán II is a boutique project sold off-plan. Torelo, in the south of the zone, and Casa Once, a 14-floor tower over four basements, add to the list. Towers here sit over several basement levels, and in March 2026 the Municipalidad suspended the licence of a site at Las Américas and 11 calle after workers died in a collapse, so ask to see the licence and the delivery date in the contract before you put money down.

Offices and Commercial Space in Zona 14:

Europlaza is the zone’s office address, with suites from about 84 to nearly 1,000 m², backup power, a helipad on each tower and serviced offices on the second floor of Tower 1. Smaller commercial space sits in centres such as Plaza Futeca and Galerías Tiffany. Outside those, commerce is local, mostly in the older streets of La Villa.

FAQ:

• How is Zona 14 different from Zona 10 next door?

  The 20 calle is the line. Zona 10 is denser, has more one-bedroom flats and you can walk to restaurants and nightlife. Zona 14 is quieter, its apartments are larger and family-sized, and you will drive for most errands. Price per square metre is close in both, so compare by the metre, not just by the total.

• Can I get around Zona 14 without a car?

  Partly. Transmetro Línea 13 stops at Juan Pablo II, on Avenida Las Américas at 21 calle, and continues through zonas 9 and 4 to zona 1 for Q1, from 5:00 to 21:00 on weekdays. On Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00 Las Américas itself becomes a walking and cycling park. For school runs and offices outside that line, plan on a car.

• What should I check before buying an older house in La Villa or Las Conchas?

  Part of La Villa belonged to Zona 10 until 1972, so older papers may carry an address that no longer matches the zone; go by the finca number at the property registry, not the street address, and confirm the owner, the measurements and that it is free of liens. If the lot backs onto the Pinula ravine, ask the Municipalidad de Guatemala what can be built on the slope before you plan an extension. Check that the IUSI is paid up, too.

• Is Zona 14 a good place to rent near the embassies?

  Several are inside it: Argentina on 5a avenida, and Chile and India on 3a avenida. The United States Embassy is in Zona 16, a drive away. Much of the rental market here is built around diplomatic and corporate tenants, so many buildings are used to dollar leases and furnished units.

• What should I watch for when buying off-plan?

  Ask for the construction licence and make sure the delivery date is in the contract, since the Municipalidad can and does suspend licences. Many projects quote their price before taxes, timbres and deed costs. Ask, too, whether the down payment can be split into instalments, as Segheria offered its buyers.