Best locations for off-grid living in Mexico?

Good question. I hope to hear some answers. I am trying to do that in a not so remote area near Merida with adequate but not great land for farming

ditto

Hi John! the place you are looking for is Ursulo Galvan, located in Nayarit. It is perfect for farming crops and raising animals if thats what you are looking for. As well as, close by is Lo de Marcos, where you will find the beach and the jungle. There you will find many activites to do, like go hiking, fishing, swimming, surfing and horse back riding etc. Overall, it is a perfect fit for anyone looking to settle for a more tranquil and private life. If your interested feel free to reach out to me and The Galvan team can help you find a perfect piece of land for you and your family.

Bingo, sounds lovely. I don't speak Spanish, Is there a language barrier in that area?

Not at all! here you will find that the most speaked languages is spanish as well as english anywhere you go. There are translaters here as well as spanish lessions if your interested.

If you want to live in a rural area you better learn spanish and have pesos.

I strongly suggest you visit before making any decision.

Be especially cautious of any offers to sell you land. Many land holdings are subject to community property "ejidos" .  This means land is held in common (Not necessarily family members) ALL members of the ejido must sign off on the transfer of deed/title.

If you rent land initially for a reasonable amount and make significant improvements,  you may encounter a significant rent increase. The purpose to make you vacate the land and leave the improvements behind.
If you are only going to engage in subsistence farming, you should not have any problems.

First Last
That is excellent advice. I've been here in Lake Chapala area five years and looking to hopefully 'get out of town'. The main reason I liked this area and stayed was because of the many Expats here and the ability to communicate  with my 'pigeon-Esp.' Body language along with a basic knowledge of Spanish, works with most Mexicans. All they ask is 'Try'.
Lonecharro

First Last wrote:

I strongly suggest you visit before making any decision.

Be especially cautious of any offers to sell you land. Many land holdings are subject to community property "ejidos" .  This means land is held in common (Not necessarily family members) ALL members of the ejido must sign off on the transfer of deed/title.

If you rent land initially for a reasonable amount and make significant improvements,  you may encounter a significant rent increase. The purpose to make you vacate the land and leave the improvements behind.
If you are only going to engage in subsistence farming, you should not have any problems.

So that is pretty fair advice first last,

I would add a couple of things though, One would be the list of potential owners of a property. Can cause that sale to go on for a very long time. And they wouldn't have to be initial signers on the contract. The situation can quickly branch out into any relative of that signer. This means possibly 100 or more people who have to sign off on some sales. This is a situation that has to be approached with great care and legal advice, Said legal advice would hopefully not be a close friend of the seller.

And with subsistence farming, you could easily run into significant problems. Someone I know had animals taken numerous times. They just drove up and carted off the stock or equipment. It wasn't helpful to inform the police because as it turned out the police were on excellent terms with the robbers.
It is their country and they will defer to their friends, family, and countrymen. It takes time to build relationships that can help balance that. A time that should be spent learning Spanish and the ways of the people.

That's great information re: living relatives not on the deed.

Thanks, I saw that up close a few years ago. And I said what do they have to do with it  and got the well they are his sons by his first marriage and she was his domestic partner (not wife) so given that he is now dead they have to agree to sign off. And I was told sometimes its a real mess because of all of the legal links. Many people may have to be tracked down and persuaded to sign.

I was glad I never planned to buy property other than a car.

im looking for pet frendly house to rent only 1200.00 amonth income man wife

look at the top of the page Tim, under housing.  The forum members don't search for housing or jobs for people. We talk about life in Mexico and travel in Mexico. That's why there are classified listings and business listings in separate areas at the top of the page.

Good luck house hunting.

Hi I read your reply to this post and would be very interested in finding out more about living in a fishing village perhaps not so much off grid but peaceful quiet and tranquil.

A friend of friends told me to "explore the villages north. Bucerias, Punta Mita, Litibu, San Pancho, even Chacala" for more farming areas.
Yesterday I discovered:   10 Tips for Living in Lake Chapala, Mexico
I'm airbnb reserved until Sep 20th in PV, had to move before learning spanish I am studying now. Would love to find a dream home with nature   wildlife (?).

Anybody know if wwooflatinamerica [dot com] is active?
My membership approval has been pending for 2 days. Seems long.

pasted from site:
WWOOF LATIN AMERICA NOW HAS A SINGLE MEMBERSHIP FOR ALL OF ITS AFFILIATED COUNTRIES (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Colombia).

If you want to live in a non idyllic fishing village / camp be prepared to only speak spanish, have personal transportation, an outside source of income readily converted to pesos, learn to fish on someone else's panga, or buy your own, mend nets, etc. and almost live hand to mouth. You may be able to scratch a living growing crops. And then again, a small tienda may offer basics. And now. I am going to make a suggestion most gringos will blanch at. If you are male, find a good, traditional mexicana that will maintain your abode and your sanity.

First Last wrote:

If you want to live in a non idyllic fishing village / camp be prepared to only speak spanish, have personal transportation, an outside source of income readily converted to pesos, learn to fish on someone else's panga, or buy your own, mend nets, etc. and almost live hand to mouth. You may be able to scratch a living growing crops. And then again, a small tienda may offer basics. And now. I am going to make a suggestion most gringos will blanch at. If you are male, find a good, traditional mexicana that will maintain your abode and your sanity.

really first Last ? Find a woman to take care of you ?
The classic mother type is now a great-grandmother Many of the younger women are no longer trained in the traditional style.  I have seen many of the younger women who don't cook let along care for the house. Just hire a once a week house keeper pay her well and respect her. Then you won't have to deal with relationship problems with a women who wants a fine house and a full time house keeper.

You are right about speaking Spanish. The smaller the pueblo the more important speaking Spanish becomes. And yet Spanish may not be enough because many tiny villages speak little Spanish but depend on the numerous aztec dialogues.

It was technical woes on WWOOF Mexico.
Member now but haven't contacted anybody yet, just viewing options so far.
I suspect many of the farm owners are no longer active, to be determined.
As a solo senior, it would be ideal for me to rent in or close to a sustainable farm and volunteer as able by mutual agreement.
Am I dreaming?
At least the $20 membership is helping me learn more about location options ...

Well Ecogal why don't you explain what you have experienced and how it works. I'm sure many don't know what you are talking about.

Ecogal, I have to agree with travellight.

Also, there are more off-grid places (no electricity, no internet) in Mexico than on-grid.

The Northern and Southern Sierra Madre mountains, for example.

It's a work trade program with a focus on sustainable living.
https://www.wwooflatinamerica.com/

Well ecoGal, I can see why you are attracted. But I agree with Melanie about the risks in off-grid currently. The isolation and thousands of people out of work are ripe for major problems. Added to that is being a woman. Being an isolated woman in Mexico can be very dangerous. I would make security number one on my list if I were you. Perhaps you haven't heard from them because they have chosen to move on to be safe.

Urban or country, I want to grow my own food organically, power by solar, harvest rain water, compost, etc. I lived that way in Hawaii and see no reason to not do so in Mexico.

Fears are another topic and I don't care to get into political opinions of the new world order here.

I was unaware that people without jobs and the potential for violence against women ( approx 6 women a day are killed) was a political position. How about poverty would that be a political position also?
You could have a small area to grow food on an apartment deck.  As for Hawaii, it is nothing like Mexico, so it's unwise to expect that they would be the same. Note I have been in both places so I speak from experience.  I'm also a master gardener so I am very familiar with composting, organic management, and issues related to solar and rainwater. What's your plan for removing Glyphosate from that rainwater? What's your plan for communicating with the tiny villages and the people who may speak only Mayan and likely won't trust you.

It's unclear why you would choose to be rude and condescending to people who are trying to help you.

I do not mean to be rude to anyone. Please pardon me if avoiding political discussions are interpreted that way. I'm just trying to stay on topic while being grateful for any help on this forum. Excuse me for comparing Mexico to other parts of the world. I was simply trying to detail what I am seeking because I was asked.
Namaste with aloha,

EcoGal wrote:

I do not mean to be rude to anyone. Please pardon me if avoiding political discussions are interpreted that way. I'm just trying to stay on topic while being grateful for any help on this forum. Excuse me for comparing Mexico to other parts of the world. I was simply trying to detail what I am seeking because I was asked.
Namaste with aloha,

So Eco Gal,

It was your responses to our help that was both confusing and insulting.  There was in reality, nothing political about what we said.

"Fears are another topic and I don't care to get into political opinions of the new world order here." What does this really mean ?

On topic would be what is it like? how about safety? how realistic are my ideas etc. That was what we we were trying to respond To. If you just want to leap in with no precautions or questions  well so be it. As for other parts of the world, Hawaii is a U.S. State, Mexico is a less developed very different place which takes a lot of adjustment.
When you figure out what you need ask us.

Hi EcoGal,

I agree with Travellight. It can be quite dangerous for a foreign female to live off grid, especially alone.

Having a strong command of the Spanish language and an understanding of the Mexican culture would be important for anyone who wants to move to Mexico.

Mexico is going through a lot of socio-political change right now. Anyone thinking about moving to Mexico should consider the ramifications.

For these reasons, your best bet would be to consider joining a community.

There are plenty of sustainable communities / ecovillages in Mexico, however most are run by Mexicans who speak Spanish for the most part.

Here are a few websites of alternative communities in Mexico:

https://es-us.finanzas.yahoo.com/notici … 19543.htmlhttps://www.yorokobu.es/auto-mexico/https://www.facebook.com/EcoaldeasMexico/

Best of luck!

Your congenial reply is most appreciated, thank you.

Hello it might be too late to answer. Only now reading your question.  In 2007 I purchased small piece if land on the shore of the Bahia of Chetumal. It is called semi rural jungle bahia.
I started off grid for a few years until the Electricity came to the area.  But it is still livable off grid if were wishing. I built a nice house all opened to nature.
We are located near the village of Calderitas in Quintana Roo and near the Maya ruins of Oxtankah.
You are welcomed to ask any question.

PM sent

@Galvanrealestate how about living off grid but close enough to a town to buy my food & other supplies? (Within 80km of a town big enough to shop in). I already live off grid in the US but I'm not really interested in farming.

Are properties with wells common? Maybe 20 acres without many neighbors? Doesn't have to be predominantly English speaking. This isn't an immediate action so I appreciate the information.

Thanks

@JohnJames18 hola i follow the topic. I went to mexico to live like this with my kids in nature. I have already lived in italy in puglia for 6 years like this and it is definitely the life i want and need, but near the seaside . I am interested in joining communities free from drugs and addictions. Thank you.

@Galvanrealestate hello how are the prices of land?is there fresh spring water?

@EcoGal i subscribed to workaway and in mexico in almost a year i send messages no one ever answered.... I think mexico is not the best option for this kind of things....

@kansasrodeo hello i have been one month in la paz and now i am in los cabos.definitely baja is not the place to live off grid or to live quietly in nature. Not at all for me.i am coming back to Yucatan. This place is another cancun/tulum style