La Esperanza

About La Esperanza:

La Esperanza shares borders with the city of Quetzaltenango and with Olintepeque, San Mateo and San Miguel Sigüilá, and its town centre stands at 2,465 metres. The road to San Marcos does the work of a main street, carrying buses between Xela and the western towns past Interplaza and the sector called Pila de los Rodas before it continues to San Mateo and San Juan Ostuncalco. Central Xela is about seven kilometres away. That sounds like nothing, but the road clogs at rush hour, so drive it at the time you would really commute before you decide. Guatemala City is a little over 200 kilometres to the east.

The K’iche’ called this place Chilmop, the land of the alders, and for a long time it was the aldea of Los Alisos under Quetzaltenango. Its leaders bought and were given extra land in the 1890s, and on 7 April 1910 the government of Manuel Estrada Cabrera made it a municipality named La Esperanza. The earthquake of 6 August 1942 left 95 per cent of residents without a home. With the old centre cut off from the paved road, neighbours moved the town offices to the cantón of El Progreso, today’s zona 2, and renamed the place La Victoria. Most people never accepted it, and in 1945 the name went back to La Esperanza.

Fields still run between the houses. Families grow maize, wheat, beans, broad beans and fruit, and some keep dairy cows, but much of the working day now happens in Xela, in its offices, markets and schools, or in the shops along the highway. The town calls itself the land of culture, charm and sport, and it means the last part: cycling, athletics and football all have a loyal local following. In May the fair for the Santo Niño de la Cruz takes over the centre.

Most of the municipality is flat, and the urban area barely tilts, which explains much of its growth: buildable ground, services and Xela next door. The soils are deep and well drained, laid down on volcanic ash. The edges are another matter. Toward San Mateo the land rises into privately owned forest on the lower slopes of Siete Orejas, toward San Miguel Sigüilá stands Cerro San Sijá with the municipality’s only communal forest, and the Sigüilá river and the Relac ravine, also called Río Seco, cut through on their way. Families who grew up here mostly own their homes, renting is an urban-zone affair, and newer condominiums draw households from Xela who want a quieter street a few minutes from the city.

Houses in La Esperanza:

The standard local house has block walls and either a sheet roof or a flat concrete slab, and newer builds have swapped granite and cement floors for ceramic tile. In zona 2, new two-storey houses for sale in La Esperanza appear near Club Cantabria, a short walk from the main road, with three bedrooms on 90 to 110 square metres, while larger four-bedroom homes run past 200. Zona 4 has two-storey houses close to the bus routes and small gated condominiums such as Casa Bosque, with a guardhouse, old trees, a fireplace in the living room and a garden at the back. At this height, a fireplace and a water heater are worth checking for. If the house fronts the highway, stand outside it at rush hour before you make an offer.

Apartments in La Esperanza:

Apartment living here means the stretch of road around the mall. Altos de Occidente, across from Interplaza, sells new three-bedroom units of a little over 80 square metres and also lets them, furnished or part-furnished. For anyone who works at the mall or commutes into the city, an apartment in La Esperanza on this strip turns the daily trip into a walk or a short bus ride. Ask what the monthly maintenance fee covers, whether water and security are included, and how many parking spaces come with the unit.

Rentals in La Esperanza:

Away from the mall, renting mostly means a house in the urban zones. In zona 1, houses on streets such as calle David Hurtado come with a garage, a living and dining room and a separate kitchen, which suits a family that needs space more than a view. In Santa Rita and on the rural edges nearly everyone owns the house they live in, so rentals there are rare. Before you sign, ask how many hours a day water reaches the house and whether a parking space is part of the deal.

Land and Lots in La Esperanza:

Plots near the health post start at 90 square metres, and a flat 119-square-metre lot near Garibaldi sits within reach of the bus line. In zona 3, land for sale in La Esperanza is offered by the half cuerda of 218 square metres or the full cuerda of 436. Gated condominiums such as Villa Ferrer sell serviced lots of 150 to 170 square metres, and zona 4 has urbanised lots with the services already in. Larger pieces of farmland come up toward the edges, where the ground starts to slope. Get every measurement in square metres, because a cuerda can be 436 square metres to one seller and 625 to the next.

FAQ:

• How far is La Esperanza from Quetzaltenango city?

  About seven kilometres along the road to San Marcos, and buses run it through the day. The distance is short but peak-hour traffic is heavy, so allow far more time in the morning and evening than the map suggests.

• Which zones and neighbourhoods make up La Esperanza?

  The town is split into zona 1, El Centro; zona 2, El Progreso; zona 3, El Adelanto; and zona 4, Villa Hermosa, plus the aldea of Santa Rita. Residential colonias include Los Alisos, Los Pinabetes, Cipresales, Bugambilia, Jardines de La Esperanza, Llanos de La Esperanza and La Nueva Esperanza near El Adelanto.

• Is a property advertised as “La Esperanza” always in La Esperanza?

  Not always. The boundaries with Quetzaltenango and San Mateo run through built-up streets, and condominiums along the San Marcos road get marketed under all three names. Look at the municipality written on the deed, because that is the office that will connect your water and approve your building licence.

• What should I check before buying a lot in La Esperanza?

  Start with the size. Land is still sold by the cuerda, and the cuerda is not the same unit from one seller to the next, so insist on square metres and a surveyed plan that matches the registered finca. On the edges, walk the plot for slope and for any drop toward the Relac ravine or the Sigüilá river. Then pull the record at the Segundo Registro de la Propiedad in Quetzaltenango, which covers the whole department, and confirm the seller’s name and the measurements there.

• Is water supply reliable in La Esperanza?

  It depends on the street. The municipality has been improving supply by drilling wells, including a recent project in sector Los Gómez in zona 4. Ask the neighbours how many hours water arrives, check for a cistern, and in a condominium ask whether it has its own well.