Overview

• Local comuneros convened a first assembly to review the tenure of the property known as “La Casa del Silencio,” but the session lacked legal quorum and a new meeting was scheduled for September 7 to decide next steps, including potential restitution.
• The Comisariado de Bienes Comunales reported no ownership documents for Gerardo Fernández Noroña in its archives, while its legal adviser cited an impossible deed within the communal plan, an alleged mortgage gravamen, and siting in a non-residential protected area.
• Residents protested outside the Tepoztlán residence, chanting “Fuera Noroña” and urging authorities to uphold agrarian rights and block privatization of communal lands.
• Opposition lawmakers questioned how a reported 12‑million‑peso mortgage could be granted on land asserted as communal and ecologically protected, with some urging the senator to deliver the house to the people.
• Fernández Noroña stated the house has deeds, is 16 years old, and is being paid via a mortgage, and he accused the Tepoztlán mayor of orchestrating the protests.