Housing at Colinas de Santa Fe is part of the larger housing campaign started in 2001 promoted by Mexican government to extend home ownership for low income groups. It is the largest housing construction program in Latin America’s history. The governmental strategy was simple: build quickly, sell cheaply, and finance them with low interest loans. However, due to the poor construction quality and remote location, many of the housing projects are only partially inhabited, abandoned, or never inhabited.

        At Colinas de Santa Fe, partially built on a wetlands area on the northern outskirts of Veracruz, rainwater, and sewage back up into streets and homes during the rainy season. The underground drainage system collapsed years ago, leaving streets pocked with giant craters. The water treatment plant also broke down, compounding the health hazards. “We live in a pig pen,” said Adela Blanco, a 47-year-old homeowner activist at Colinas, “but we live worse than pigs, because we have to pay for it.” Residents moved in initially with hope for a better living quality. But it turns out that they are living worse than they did before.

        At the same time, Homex, the builder of the Colinas de Santa Fe, provided statement:

        “Homex continues to focus on building successful communities with a sustainable profile contributing to improve the quality of life of the Mexican population.”

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