Zona 21

About Zona 21:

Zona 21 occupies the southern tip of the municipality of Guatemala. It borders zonas 12 and 13 of the capital, the aldea of Boca del Monte and the rest of Villa Canales, and San Miguel Petapa, so a short drive in almost any direction puts you in another municipality. The zone covers 5.5 square kilometres, most of it broken ground cut by barrancos, and the colonias sit on the flatter shelves between ravines. Two roads carry most of the traffic: Avenida Petapa, which continues south into San Miguel Petapa, and the Calzada Justo Rufino Barrios, opened in 1972. A third exit from Bellos Horizontes drops onto the Calzada Atanasio Tzul in zona 12, and the municipal traffic police run it at rush hour.

Guajitos is the oldest part of the zone. In the late 19th century the liberal government granted land here, on what was then the Común Viejo de los Guajes, to militiamen and day labourers, and many families in Guajitos still trace their roots to the soldiers of Justo Rufino Barrios. The fiesta of the Virgen de Guadalupe remains the big date in its calendar, and people in the newer colonias still talk about Guajitos as if it were a village. Then the State filled in the rest of the map. The Instituto Nacional de la Vivienda handed over the first houses of colonia Justo Rufino Barrios in 1971 under a self-build programme, followed by apartment blocks and the octuplex buildings of 1973 and 1974: two-storey blocks of eight flats whose floors were the first in the country laid with COPRECA prefabricated slabs.

Colonias Venezuela and Bello Horizonte grew up along the new calzada, and south of them came Nimajuyú: 52.3 hectares, 22 modules of four buildings each, every module arranged around its own central plaza, and sold after the 1976 earthquake as earthquake-resistant construction. The flats were smaller than in earlier state projects, and the planners made up for it with wide green areas that residents still defend. The 1976 earthquake also left settlements such as La Joya and La Joyita, and smaller colonias such as Loma Blanca, Letrán, Los Tamarindos, Villas del Sur and San Fermín complete the map. Daily shopping happens at the municipal Mercado Justo Rufino Barrios on 10 calle and at the Venezuela market opposite Nimajuyú’s first module, while Plaza Atanasio Tzul, the USAC campus and IRTRA Mundo Petapa are just over the line in zona 12.

Next to zona 12, which carries the university, the Atanasio Tzul industrial corridor and the shopping centres, Zona 21 is almost entirely housing; industry comes down to a Colgate-Palmolive logistics site on Calle Real de Guajitos. Most streets in the older colonias are open rather than behind a garita, while Atzul in Guajitos is a condominium with a gym and a sports court. Nimajuyú itself is constituted as a condominium and has its own residents’ association. Ownership dominates in the old state colonias, where many families have held the same house or flat for decades, and renting grows in Guajitos and among owners who let out a floor or a room.

Apartments in Zona 21:

Nimajuyú sets the apartment market. A typical unit has three bedrooms, one bathroom and one parking space in around 64 square metres, and the monthly condominium fee is small and covers security and the green areas. When the flats were first sold, ground-floor units cost more than those on the fourth floor. Colonia Justo Rufino Barrios adds its own apartment blocks and octuplex flats, older and lower. In Guajitos, the Atzul condominium offers smaller two-bedroom apartments for sale in Zona 21 with shared amenities.

Houses in Zona 21:

Most houses for sale stand in colonia Justo Rufino Barrios, colonia Venezuela and the state-built colonias around them. The original lots are narrow and deep, 6.5 by 35 metres for example, and five decades of additions mean that two houses on identical lots can be completely different buildings. Some have stayed on one level with a garden at the back; others have grown to three storeys with a separate apartment that is let on its own. Residencial Eureka and colonia La Paz also have houses, in La Paz on lots of around 275 square metres. When you compare houses for sale in Zona 21, judge each one on its structure and the quality of its later additions, not on the name of the colonia.

Rentals in Zona 21:

Rentals run from three-bedroom houses with a patio and two parking spaces to townhouses of 90 square metres in small condominiums. In Guajitos you can rent two-bedroom flats in Atzul and new four-level houses in condominio Atanasio 3. Rooms are let in Guajitos too, and some commercial premises and ofibodegas are offered for rent. If you are looking at apartments for rent in Zona 21, ask the owner about water hours before anything else.

Land and Lots in Zona 21:

The larger plots are in Guajitos, including Loma Blanca, and near Calle Real de Guajitos. They run from under 400 square metres to well over 1,000, and some still carry old block-and-sheet-roof buildings that a buyer would have to demolish. The best of them are flat, with a paved two-way street to the front and municipal drainage and electricity already in place. Before you bid on land for sale in Zona 21, check the plot’s classification in the municipal Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial: a G2 zone, which some of these lots carry, limits height and density far more than G3 or G4.

New Developments in Zona 21:

Vivea 21 is the project to know in Guajitos. Calidad Inmobiliaria is building four towers with 297 apartments at 2 calle and 2 avenida, two blocks from Colgate and close to the end of the Calzada Atanasio Tzul, with three access routes. Units have two or three bedrooms in 36 to 47 square metres with basic finishes, and one model has already sold out in pre-sale. Entry prices sit above what a larger resale flat in Nimajuyú costs, so the choice is between new construction and floor space. Before signing a pre-sale contract, ask for the construction licence and the delivery schedule in writing.

FAQ:

• Is Zona 21 part of Guatemala City or of Villa Canales?

  Zona 21 belongs to the municipality of Guatemala, so property tax, licences and water come through the Municipalidad de Guatemala and Empagua. The confusion is understandable, because Boca del Monte in Villa Canales and parts of San Miguel Petapa begin a few streets away. Ask the seller for the latest IUSI receipt and check which municipality issued it.

• Can I reach the city centre by Transmetro?

  Line 21 runs a direct service between Nimajuyú and El Trébol, stopping only at the USAC campus, and it operates at the morning and evening peaks rather than all day. Outside those hours you depend on buses along Avenida Petapa or a car. Check the current timetable before you choose a home on the strength of it.

• What should I check before buying a flat in Nimajuyú?

  Start with the title. Nimajuyú was sold by BANVI, which no longer exists, so make sure the apartment has its own finca under the propiedad horizontal regime, registered in the seller’s name at the property registry, and that no earlier transfer was left as a private document. Then ask the residents’ association for the fees paid, any arrears and the condominium rules, and find out what is happening with the green areas next to your module.

• Is the water supply reliable?

  It depends on the colonia and the week. Nimajuyú has its own wells, but residents there and in Guajitos have protested over shortages, and Empagua announces periods of low pressure and interruptions across the zone. Ask the neighbours how many hours a day the water runs and whether the house or flat has a cistern.

• Can I build on a lot next to a barranco?

  Much of Zona 21 is broken ground, and some lots end at the edge of a ravine. Before you buy, measure the distance from anything you plan to build to the slope, ask the municipality what the POT allows on that plot, and have an engineer look at drainage and fill. A lot that looks level from the street can drop away sharply at the back.