Oh no....! The "way to do things" not just there but in way too many areas, seems to be stacked one-sided and always changeable. So I really really hope you guys will be able to resolve it without too much trouble. From what I've seen, people tend to be afraid of getting screwed over, which causes them to screw over others. By now I'm sure you must have convinced them of the long-term benefits of selling the land to you, but still they may try to get something more in the last minute.
Like the property for that theater: Only once the written contract was signed (!) the vendor changed his mind, took off a major chunk of the land with the highest evelation, and offered my friends the rest for the same price, thinking that they would not back out by then. He was right. Then he sold the remaining area for about the same price to the dude who built the mansion next door. As if all that was not enough, the last time we saw him in town (five years after selling the land) he came up with some crazy explanation of why they still owed him - some undefined amount, because he had sold them the land so cheaply.
Crazy, I know. And if you bring up the one-sidedness of the issue, their only justification is "usos y costumbres" meaning their "way to do things". Oh yeah, and some examples of how Canadian mining companies exploit their workers in Chihuahua. Anyway, I truly hope that in your case the situation is not so bad, and that you can resolve it without much hassle. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Thanks for the input. It will all work out, one way or the other. I need to get very clear within myself on what I want to manifest and whether I still want to be on this land or not. It's clear to me that the original idea of a completely shared community isn't going to happen here. As Alex discovered, a better approach is to have individual plots.
When I went to that theater land I was wondering about that mansion. It seemed too close to your friend's building. Now I understand.
Indeed, that house is not exactly what we like having next door. Fortunately the owner is a great guy and a good neighbor. But yeah... I wonder what the place will look like in a few years.