Villa Lourdes

About Villa Lourdes:

Villa Lourdes covers about 27.5 km² on the eastern side of the Los Santos district. Las Cruces lies to the north, Las Guabas to the south, La Villa de Los Santos to the west, and the Macaracas district runs along its eastern edge. The national road to Macaracas passes straight through, and Macaracas town is only 9 km away, while Las Tablas, the provincial capital, is about 32 km off for banks, the hospital and bigger shopping. The corregimiento itself is young: it was split from Las Guabas in 1998 because that corregimiento had grown too large for its resources to reach every village.

Around 1,200 people live here, spread between the cabecera and five smaller communities: El Capurí, La Laja, Guevara, La Fabiana and Loma Colorada. Daily needs are covered close to home by minisupers and kiosks, a few restaurants, butchers, welding and mechanic workshops, carpenters, sawmills and an agricultural cooperative. Each village keeps its own feast. The big one is the Virgin of Lourdes on 11 February, after nine nights of novenas and a procession with fireworks on the 10th; El Capurí celebrates San Judas Tadeo in late October and La Laja honours Jesús Nazareno in mid-March.

Cattle are the backbone of the local economy, raised for both milk and beef. Most families also grow tomatoes, maize, rice, cucumbers, beans and peppers, and pigs are raised for sale. Hacienda Lourdes, a pig farm inside the corregimiento, is one of the main employers for people from here and from neighbouring communities. That is why paddocks, milking sheds and corrals far outnumber anything built for leisure, and why the people who buy here are mostly those who farm or plan to.

The ground alternates between small plains and hills. The broadest flat stretch is the plain locals call la zanja del llano, in La Fabiana; elsewhere the land rises into Cerro Grande, Cerro La Mona, Cerro La Cruz and a string of lomas, one of which gives Loma Colorada its name. The quebradas La Mona and El Caballo, together with springs and many small farm ponds, water the pasture and crops, and the Lago Soberanía reservoir at La Laja is where people go to fish for fish, shrimp and clams. The dry season runs from late December into early May. That is the stretch that shows whether a farm’s water source is any good.

Houses in Villa Lourdes:

Homes here are family houses, most of them in the cabecera or along the road to Macaracas, usually on plots with room for a yard, fruit trees or a few animals. Away from the main road, a house more often comes as part of a finca than on its own. A house close to the asphalt makes the run to Macaracas or La Villa easy in any season. Before you settle on a price, ask how the house gets its water and electricity, especially on farms set back from the road.

Land and Lots in Villa Lourdes:

Land is the main market here. Expect cattle and dairy fincas measured in hectares, smaller parcels for crops, and house lots along the Los Santos–Macaracas road and in the cabecera. Flat ground in La Fabiana and the strips beside the road are the easiest to work and to build on, while the hillier land around the cerros is better suited to grazing. A finca already set up for dairy, with milking shed, corrals and improved pasture, is a different purchase from bare pasture, so compare like with like when you look at land for sale in Villa Lourdes. Whatever the size, ask where the water comes from in March, not in October.

FAQ:

• What kind of property can I buy in Villa Lourdes?

  Mostly land: cattle and dairy farms, crop parcels and house lots, plus family homes in the villages. There are no apartment buildings or condominiums here.

• How far is Villa Lourdes from Macaracas and Las Tablas?

  Macaracas is 9 km away along the national road, and Las Tablas is about 32 km. La Villa de Los Santos, the district seat, lies on the same road heading west.

• What should I check before buying a finca in Villa Lourdes?

  Villa Lourdes was part of Las Guabas until 1998, so an older deed or survey may still place the land in Las Guabas. Make sure the description in the property registry matches the parcel you are walking, that the fences follow the recorded boundary, and whether the land is fully titled or held under possession rights. Then confirm which spring, well or quebrada the farm relies on and whether it lasts through the dry season.

• Is there anything to do around Villa Lourdes besides farming?

  Life follows the farm calendar and the village feasts, above all the Virgin of Lourdes celebrations in early February. Fishing in the Lago Soberanía reservoir at La Laja is the local pastime.

• Where do residents go for services?

  Small shops, workshops and a cooperative cover the basics in the corregimiento. For banks, the hospital and larger stores, people head to Macaracas, La Villa de Los Santos or Las Tablas.