The final decision on the senator’s house will be made by the General Assembly of the commoners.
September 4, 2025
«They (the community members ) are going all over anyone. What about me? I want to see it .» This is how Gerardo Fernández Noroña , former president of the Senate , challenged the government. He resisted demands to return the 12 million peso (mpd) house to the community of Tepoztlán , Morelos.
The criticism against the official dates back to August 26 of this year. That same day, citizens of Tepoztlán and throughout the country pointed out multiple irregularities in the acquisition of his house.
More than a week after the scandal, Noroña spoke about his house again during a live broadcast on his YouTube channel . During the broadcast, he called the community members of the Otlayo area, where the property is located, feudal lords .
“No one is an owner in the sense understood in the capitalist system (…) they are up in the air to put it clearly,” Noroña explained.
The community members explained that the area is part of the El Tepozteco National Park Protected Natural Area . For this reason, property cannot be purchased or inhabited in the area.
According to Carlos Rojas Almazán , legal advisor to the Tepoztlán Communal Property Commission, the final decision on the property will be made by the General Assembly of the community members.
There is an irregular situation regarding the alleged acquisition of the 12 million peso house in the Otlayo area . This is especially relevant because it is located on communal property in Tepoztlán , Morelos, he confirmed in an interview with Joaquín López-Dóriga for Radio Fórmula.
Noroña speaks for an hour about the $12 million house and the community members.
Social media users issued multiple accusations against Noroña, related to the lack of austerity by Morena, the party in which he is a member, and resources of dubious origin .
However, the most legally sound claim was that the property was not private nor in the name of the official or his wife, Emma Ocampo Silva .
During his YouTube broadcast, the official defended himself with arguments. These only confirmed that, indeed, the house he purchased in the Otlayo area of Tepoztlán is not his.
Noroña pointed out that local people dispossess those who buy a house . They do so thinking they are acquiring private property, which is not possible since all of Tepoztlán is communal property .
He pointed out that these rules are a legal inconsistency. This creates absolute legal uncertainty for people not born in the Morelos region. Those outside the region are granted temporary usufruct of the land.
In this case, the person who «bought» the house (Fernández Noroña) must maintain and maintain the property for 99 years . After that, the property passes to its legal owner (the co-owners).
Perseo Quiroz Rendón , mayor of Tepoztlán, commented today that it’s common for people to be confused about social and private property . He indicated that there are many such cases in Mexico City ( CDMX ).
«They come to us and tell us their property is private because it’s registered, but that’s not the case ,» the Morelos mayor said in an interview with Azucena Uresti.
