From Jorge
This week’s stories all share the same undercurrent: the small, administrative shifts that end up shaping daily life more than the headlines do. Mexico is tightening mobile line registration, municipalities are quietly rewarding early and senior property-tax payments, retail along the Los Cabos Corridor is maturing with projects like Ánima Los Cabos, and neighborhoods such as El Tezal in Cabo San Lucas, are settling into a more grown-up phase of the market. None of these are dramatic on their own, but together they tell a clear story: ownership, connectivity, and lifestyle in Mexico are becoming more structured, more intentional, and less forgiving of loose ends. This is what progress looks like when it happens quietly.
Subject of the Week
Mexico’s New Mobile Line Registration.
Registration starts January 9 ends June 30, 2026.
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Lens: Regulatory + Security
If your line isn’t linked to you, it’s basically on borrowed time.
What happened (and why)
Mexico’s telecom regulator (CRT) issued rules requiring mobile carriers to activate and keep active only lines linked to a verified individual or legal entity. targeting anonymous lines commonly used for scams and extortion.
The Snapshot (facts that matter)
Effective date: January 9, 2026
Existing lines deadline: June 30, 2026.
How to do it: in person at your carrier’s customer service center, or online via carrier webpage (varies by operator).
What you’ll typically need: photo ID + CURP (individuals).
How to register (plain English)
Find your carrier’s official registration webpage or go to a CAC (Centro de Atención a Clientes).
Verify identity (usually photo ID + CURP; foreigners often use passport and residency CURP if applicable).
Confirm the line is linked (keep a screenshot / confirmation number, future. you will thank you).
Consequences if you ignore it
Your line can be suspended/deactivated for regular use (calls/SMS/data), typically leaving only emergency/operator access until you comply.
Secondary Topics (Quick hits you should know)
1) Telcel already has a formal “Vincula tu línea” flow (and separate requirements for companies)
Telcel is publicly posting guidance and requirements, including an enterprise track with corporate documents.
2) This is expanding beyond postpaid into prepaid (the “burner phone” pressure point)
Multiple reports frame this as Mexico moving to reduce anonymous/prepaid abuse by requiring verified linkage for all lines.
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ILT-style takeaway: keep your ownership life in one place:
Save a copy of the ID you used (and your CURP confirmation if applicable)
Keep your carrier confirmation screenshot with your property docs
If you’re running anything through a Mexican bank (fideicomiso fees, HOA wires, SAT items), losing your mobile line can lock you out of verification steps at the worst time.
What’s your take?
Do you see this as a necessary security move… or just another bureaucracy tax on normal people?
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Pay Less, Worry Less: How to Capture Mexico’s Predial Discounts (and Stack Senior Savings).
Take advantage of beginning of year discounts
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Lenses: Municipal Finance + Owner Practicality
Step One: Lock in the Early-Payment Discount (Everyone)
Before we talk about special benefits, start with the discount almost every municipality in Mexico offers, early payment of your annual property tax (Impuesto Predial).
Here’s the big picture most owners miss:
Predial is municipal, not federal
Each city sets its own discounts, deadlines, and rules
There are no reminders, ever
But the pattern is surprisingly consistent across the country.
The Snapshot: Early Payment Discounts (General Rule)
Month | Typical Discount* |
January | Highest (often 10%–20%) |
February | Medium (often 5%–15%) |
March | Lower (often 5%–10%) |
*Always confirm locally.
After that window closes, the discount disappears, and penalties can show up later in the year.
Municipalities do this for one simple reason: cash flow. Early payments help fund streets, lighting, drainage, and services before problems pile up.
📌 Key rule everywhere:
Predial is tied to your Clave Catastral (property ID), not your name.
You’ll find it in:
Your fideicomiso or deed
A prior predial receipt
Catastro records
Before paying, always confirm:
Property address is correct
Owner name matches
The discount is properly applied
Step Two: If You’re a Senior Citizen, There May Be More on the Table
Once you’ve captured the general early-payment discount, some owners, especially those 60+, may qualify for additional, stacked benefits.
This is where things become hyper-local.
There is no nationwide senior discount rule, but many municipalities and state programs offer meaningful relief.
Maximize Your Savings
How to Access Senior Discounts (When They Exist)
If you think you might qualify, here’s the clean way to approach it:
1. Confirm Eligibility Locally
Usually requires:
Age 60+
Legal ownership
Residential use only
Often: one qualifying property
2. Prepare Documentation
Typically:
INAPAM card or official ID
Government ID (INE or passport)
Proof of address
Predial bill in your name
3. Apply the Right Way
Some cities apply discounts automatically in their system
Others require an in-person visit to the Tesorería, Catastro, or DIF
In certain municipalities, a family member can apply with a simple power of attorney
Bonus tip: some programs also reduce water service fees, worth asking while you’re there.
Why This Matters More Than the Pesos
Predial isn’t about saving a few hundred pesos.
An unpaid or misapplied tax can:
Delay a sale
Complicate a fideicomiso update
Trigger last-minute notary issues
Raise questions during due diligence
This is one of those quiet ownership habits that pays off later.
Your Turn
Quick January check-in:
Have you paid your 2026 predial yet?
Do you know your municipality’s discount window?
Do you know where your Clave Catastral lives?
If not—this is your friendly nudge ☕.
Comment on a story, question you may have or tip you’ll like to share.
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Anima Los Cabos Opened.
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Lenses: Lifestyle + Urban Development
Ánima Los Cabos opened December 2025, in Cabo del Sol, along the Tourist Corridor with a clear idea: Don’t compete with malls. Replace them.
Instead of enclosed hallways and fast turnover, Ánima was designed as a walkable, open-air village, somewhere you pass time, not just spend money. Architecture leans into Baja’s climate: stone, shade, water, terraces. You arrive for one thing and stay for three.
This isn’t accidental. It mirrors how Los Cabos itself has evolved, from quick-hit destination to lived-in lifestyle.
The Snapshot (Why Ánima Feels Different)
Open-air village layout, not a traditional shopping center
Architecture designed for flow, shade, and lingering
Curated mix of global luxury + lifestyle brands
Dining and cafés built for long stays, not fast exits
Appeals equally to locals, second-home owners, and visitors
Ánima doesn’t feel “new.” It feels established, which is exactly the point.
The mix is deliberate: recognizable, international, but aligned with resort and residential life, not impulse shopping.
More phases are already planned, with additional luxury houses expected.
Walkable Open-Air Village
Why This Matters (Beyond Shopping Bags)
Ánima is part of a bigger shift:
Los Cabos is no longer built only for arrival and departure.
It’s being built for routine.
Places like this:
Support year-round residents, not just peak season tourists
Anchor nearby residential and resort developments
Increase the “stickiness” of neighborhoods
Quietly raise the standard for surrounding infrastructure
Retail follows rooftops, and Ánima is clearly betting on long-term density and permanence.
The Long Game
Developers see Ánima as a social and commercial anchor for the corridor, a place that matures alongside nearby resorts, residential communities, and infrastructure projects.
This isn’t a splashy opening followed by silence.
It’s a slow burn.
Ánima doesn’t try to impress you.
It assumes you already know what you’re looking for.
Projects like Ánima matter because they change how areas are used, not just how they look.
Your Turn
Quick gut check:
Does Ánima feel like a natural next step for Los Cabos?
Or a preview of where other Mexican resort cities are headed next?
Either way — this one’s worth watching.
Reply to this email [email protected]. or comment:
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El Tezal - Cabo San Lucas.
El Tezal Outlook 2026
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Lense: Market Maturity + Infrastructure Reality
El Tezal isn’t “up-and-coming” anymore. It’s settling in.
Where El Tezal Stands Today
El Tezal has quietly become Cabo’s mid-market engine:
Close enough to downtown Cabo San Lucas and the Tourist Corridor to matter
Elevated terrain that delivers ocean views without beachfront pricing
Condo-heavy inventory appealing to investors, second-home owners, and long-stay residents
For years, it absorbed buyers priced out of Pedregal, the Corridor, and newer luxury enclaves. That phase is ending. El Tezal is no longer the alternative, it’s a core market.
The 2026 Demand Drivers
1) Tourism & Airlift: Steady, Not Explosive
Los Cabos continues to benefit from strong U.S. and Canadian visitation. Growth has normalized, which is exactly what mature markets want. Stability underpins both rental demand and buyer confidence.
2) Infrastructure: The Mood Setter
Roads, access, and mobility remain pressure points. In El Tezal, sentiment swings faster than fundamentals. My friend Dawn has been the unofficial Yelp reviewer of El Tezal’s dirt roads for years, every bump documented, every dust cloud personally offended her suspension. Lately, even she’s running out of material. The roads aren’t done, but they’re improving, slowly, stubbornly, unmistakably. And in El Tezal, that’s enough: incremental progress boosts confidence. Delays may slow decisions, but they rarely kill demand.
3) Water: The Quiet Gatekeeper
Desalination expansion and water planning are now central to permitting and future density. Buyers may not lead with it, but they are absolutely watching it.
Supply: A Healthy Constraint
El Tezal has one of Cabo’s most active construction pipelines, mostly condos, many pre-construction.
That means:
Pricing stays competitive
Runaway appreciation is capped
Design, views, layouts, parking, and HOA structures matter more than branding
In 2026, generic product will sit. Thoughtful product will move.
My 2026 Market Forecast
Price Appreciation
Base case: +5% to +9%
Upside: +10% to +14% if infrastructure + water headlines turn decisively positive
Downside: Flat to +4% if inventory delivery outpaces absorption
Translation: El Tezal is no longer a fast-flip zone. It is a reliable appreciation market.
Absorption & Liquidity
Well-priced units with real ocean views should continue to move
Overpriced or poorly differentiated inventory will linger
Expect more negotiation, incentives, and closing flexibility, especially in new developments
Rental Outlook
Projected rent growth: +4% to +8%
Strong demand for 1- and 2-bedroom units with terraces, pools, and work-from-home layouts
Professional management and realistic pricing will separate winners from the rest.
The Big Picture
El Tezal in 2026 is about positioning, not speculation.
Buyers: still one of the best price-to-view ratios in Los Cabos
Investors: returns favor discipline, not optimism
Developers: execution now matters more than marketing
Growth continues, but it’s smarter, slower, and tied to fundamentals.
Comment here or email [email protected]. If you want it anonymous, say so.
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