got land and i wanna start a communal farm

ok after a false start,(owned property jointly with someone who did not share the vision of people working together to make a better life) we now own the entire 250ac.
We are looking for anyone who wants to live off the land. We have a "hippy" type of view to life and only want peaceful people who want to work together to build a better place to live.
we are located about 50 miles south of the city of Merida, Yucatan, Mx. just outside a little town called Teabo. Probably the safest place in Mexico and defiantly safer than anywhere in the U.S. We have no close neighbors, town is 2 miles away down a dirt road. The land is fully wooded for now with the exception of a couple of thousand meters to get our R.V. settled, but we are steady working on it. Other than our R,.V. there is not any other structures, but there is all the material needed on the land to build either a stone house or a wood house. In addition to having plenty of material for housing on the land there is over a 100ac of good farm land, although it has been 50 years since it was farmed last.
We are open to any and all, no cost just work(there is a lot of it , but playtime is important as well) As it took our entire life savings to just get this far we are also offering fractional ownership(cheaper than subdividing off a individual parcel, but if you want a designated marked off piece that can be done as well. there would be the extra cost of subdivision) all monies raised from this will go to the development of the farm for wind generators, extra wells, equipment, ect.
We would trade %ownership in farm for any material that could be used on the farm. wind generators are high on the list even if it is home made as long as it is fully functional.
As we are new to the whole experience we are open to suggestions comments or help.

:daisy:

 

I wonder what all would be involved in the way of Visas and how frequently a return trip to the US would be required to retain citizenship?

The climate really appeals to me.

What are the local mineral resources? Bedrock, limestone etc?

How's the water? (Plenty of vegetation for making charcoal for the water filteration system I suppose)

Hunting & firearms or archery equipment ownership laws in the area? And what sort of game (Strictly for food of course, no sport hunting)

And does that town 2 miles away have an abundance of 20something Chicks with a thing for 40 year old Gringo's?

 

as far as visa you get a 180day tourist visa upon entering MX. after your are here it it easy to get a longer one for a year. I have been here 5 years without leaving and I still have full rights as an American, just renewed my U.S. passport here with a Mexican address.
the water is clean although we use bottled water for cooking and drinking, but if you are looking for charcoal sources the entire property is wooded pretty much, plenty of material
as with all of the Yucatan the only rocks you will find are limestone, there are several outcrops on the land. I have even played with the idea of making a structure out of stone.
there are a few wild game birds around and supposedly deer as well, although much smaller than the ones in the U.S. You can have a crossbow and air rifles with no problem,but as for shotguns and rifles you need a permit. Most people do not have them.
Teabo has about 5000 people so not much social activity, but Merida is only an hour away with more than any one man can want.:sunny:

 

I would have been all over this 20 years ago..... :2thumbsup:

 

Cool, are there areas where the limestone is mostly kept damp like along a stream or something? I've just found it much easier to work while moist for some odd reason.

 

there are not any streams or rivers above ground. there are over 100 rivers that drains from the mountains to the south of here, but they are all underground. water is easy to grt to though the average well depth is about 60 feet for good water.

 

I would have been all over this 20 months ago, lol. Still playing with the idea though. Sounds like a great opportunity.

 

i did the same thing. lived in Orlando for years playing with the idea then one day I just gave it up sold everything now here I am.

 

I was in Merida a few years ago and what a great atmosphere it was...market day with guys on stilts, vendors and shoppers everywhere, few gringos like me but we never felt threatened...restaurants with ...wait....to FRITZdaKat...with English-speaking good-looking Mexican chick waitresses!!!!!!!! Merida DOES have everything you could need. Was very stable a few years ago when I was there...hope it's remained so.

Had taken a RORO ship...Roll On Roll Off 3rd Rate Cruise ship from Tampa to Progesso...a short taxi ride to Merida ... great Beach there too, tho the ship stopped coming...something about problems with dredging the harbor...still a GREAT trip!!!!

I'll leave it to Fritz to think of all the pertinent questions to ask ... he'll think of everything. I would worry about the propensity for hurricanes to rage over the Yucatan so I like the idea of stone-built structures. How did your RV get there?? RORO off-loaded at Progresso?? Or driven the land route?? So has the violence skipped the Yucatan?? Also lived in Orlando 22 years...was glad to get out of Florida. Good luck. Take Fritz with you...he'll build an underground Mayan-inspired pyramid powered by plantains!!
matapeake

 

Nah, in that climate I think we could use Palm oil for our fuel needs once we got a plot established. Hell could just grow hemp (Not too clear about local laws or enforcement) down there I'd imagine, not too nuts to seed shwaggy bud and press it for oil,,, (And just imagine all the green manure it would generate)

Any caves in the area? (Might be a shortcut to the water)
Any local industrial activity risking groundwater or air quality?
Any Scrapyards nearby for getting salvage parts or just raw scrap to toss in a foundry?
And Im guessing theres a good amount of red clay to be found, any grey you've noticed?

 

there are a lot of cenotes (spanish for sinkhole)in the Yucatan is kind of famous for that. Some lead miles underground and connect to a vast underground river network. There are none on the property, which is a good thing. If a property has one and there is the smallest chance an indigenous person ever put anything in it even trash it is considered an archaeology site and is open to the Mexican people. Although if you hit one drilling a well it is fine. The old timers in the town there swear they can find one every time and pump more water than you can use. either way you only need to go about 60 feet for good water. It is kind of like Florida dig a hole anywhere and there is water
as far as industrial activity that does not really exist in Teabo. Farming and honey production is the only thing going on for miles maybe as much as 50 miles till you get anything like that. The farming they do is not very modern either, no irrigation. It is kind of primitive by U.S. standards, but the people are happy and you defiantly do not see any one starving, usually it is the opposite.
You will find the scrap yards in Merida. The city has everything any modern city has in the U.S., just a lot safer going around the city.
I know there is clay in the area. The next town over is known for their clay pots. So far on the farm I have only found red soil there is to much organic matter to really call it clay. although there might be some on the property somewhere i have only cleared a relativity small area of the property.

 

You can probably slake the soil out from the clay.

Just take a 1 quart mason jar, add about 3" of soil/clay and top off with water, stir,, let sit for 15 minute,, siphon off muddy water and leave clay to settle further.

Another method of purification I found involves adding lye water to the slaked clay to allow the lye to act on any remaining organics which rise to the top and are easily skimmed off with a low boil.

(Potash from slaked wood ash wil work just fine for this. :cheers2: )

 

This is not for me , but I did post a link on another forum for you . http://www.stevepavlina.com/forums/fun-recreation/71300-comune-looking-people.html I wish you well in setting this up. desert rat

 

well that was nice. thank you:sunny:

 

Orlando is soooo stressfull, I live very very close. I've become very anti-social because it's so overwhelming, negative and hateful everywhere you go.

 

Thats because the Cities are designed to drive people mad, man was not meant to live being stacked ontop of one another andf huddled together on their drives to work, this society that was built by our forefathers has been a failure in and of itself for society as a whole, as most others before it have been as well.
Sadly, it works out for the 1% just fine, kleep us tense, keep us divided, keep us at each others throats, instead of theirs...

 

a few pics from the farm. as you can see a lot of trees. the good part is tere are many trees good for building with. There is also a decent market for charcoal. just look over the quality of the pics, I took them with my cellphone and I am not a good photographer.

 

BTW, There's a whole mess of People aimed in your general direction about this time next year, Communications in order perhaps?
http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=172098&f=57&page=72

Right now I'm pretty cemented and will be for the forseeable future, but if something falls together for me I might be able to head that way sooner. Usual scenario, cash strapped / unemployed,,, been thinking of making stained glass or something, maybe leatherwork, we'll see. (Not sure where the hell I'd set up workspace where I'm at)

Interested, just need time to work out financing (tools / supplies etc.), documentation (Visa, etc.) and of course the logistics.

Certainly willing to brainstorm with you on projects. from here for now or skype or whatever.

P.S. If the soil is burnt out to mostly red clay from overfarming back in the day, have a look into making Terra Preta, (Charcoal / compost mix, works great, $%& Miracle grow)

And while I guess soil quality comes into play here, I'd have to say that judging by those pictures it appears the property has been heavily cut in the past 8 years or so.

Another thing to think about,,,

http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/SeedlistA-AK.htm

It's
Out of stock right now but would be a handy tree to have growing there if we can find some seed.

 

i can not really do the skype thing. we will be living on the farm full time next week and the only internet i get there is one of those wireless things that run off the cell signal. it sucks, but it is better than no communication at all.
if I can figure out how to pm i will send you my email. I think maybe i do not have enough post yet to pm.
I think the soil is good. it just red in this part of the Yucatan(there is not really any soil in other parts of the Yucatan). there are lots of earthworms in the top layer. I think it is red from the limestone reacting with the leaves and stuff as it rots. I am really into ornamental horticulture as well and probably need to mix charcoal and compost with the soil to put it in containers. I figure i made a decent living in the U.S. growing plants so I want to do that on the side with the regular farm stuff and maybe generate a little extra cash a couple of years from now. I am sure by the time they are big enough to sell we will need another wind mill or something.
i get the whole strapped for cash thing it was getting rough for work when I left in 07. The way it sounds in the news it has gotten a lot worse. I guess I am lucky to have gotten out when I did. The poor guy I sold my nursery and equipment to went belly up in 09. I am hoping with the farm I can stop living in the need money world, and start living in the money don't matter world.(probably impossible, but I got my dreams)

 

it has been quite a while since it was clear cut some time in the 70s, but the whole Yucatan was clear cut 1000 years ago, or more, and any trees tat grow large fast were wiped out centuries ago. That is why lumber is more here than in the U.S. a rough, untreated 2x4 is $5 U.S.
Lots of different types of acacias, but they take forever to get big, and they come up like weeds so there is alot of competition so they end up spindly. Although there are some in the city they planted in the 20's by themselves and they are huge. Some of them are really dense pest resistant wood. they use them for making palapa houses here. if I get the chance I plant some stuff. the only problem is getting seeds here. it is kind of tough to import that kind of thing into Mexico. For now we are just planting what we can get here.
I have been thinking about Paulownia Trees, but I just have to figure out how to get them here and started. http://www.paulowniatrees.com.au/