LA PAZ, Mexico — On one of the most scenic stretches of the Malecón in La Paz, where tourists stroll and locals gather at sunset, the once-elegant Hotel Los Arcos stands as a silent reminder of a labor conflict that has stretched on for nearly two decades.
Shuttered since 2008, the hotel — once a symbol of hospitality in Baja California Sur’s capital — is now at the center of a renewed legal push that could finally bring closure to a dispute involving dozens of former workers and millions of pesos in unpaid compensation.
A New Inspection, an Old Dispute
On Friday, January 30, 2026, court officials carried out a long-awaited inspection of the Hotel Los Arcos building to assess its structural condition after 17 years of abandonment during an ongoing strike. The inspection seeks to determine whether the extensive deterioration of the property could offset part or all of an estimated 160 million pesos owed to 78 former employees.
Attorneys for the Coppola family, owners of the hotel, argue that during the strike the labor union acted as the legal custodian of the property and therefore shared responsibility for protecting it. According to the company’s legal team, if the value of the damage exceeds the amount owed to workers, the case could be closed without additional payments.
The workers strongly reject that premise. Outside the deteriorating building, they gathered to voice frustration, saying authorities appear more focused on the condition of concrete and steel than on the human toll of a conflict that has left families waiting for justice for nearly a generation.
Lives on Hold and a Symbol of Urban Decay
The strike began on November 21, 2008, when employees affiliated with the hotel workers’ union walked out, demanding wage increases and benefits. What followed was a prolonged legal battle that outlived four state administrations and left the hotel to slowly decay in plain view of La Paz’s main tourist corridor.
Over the years, the building has suffered fires, looting, vandalism and illegal occupation. In 2023, a person was found dead inside the structure. At least three former workers died before seeing the case resolved; their claims are now carried on by surviving relatives.
Union representatives say they invested their own limited resources in surveillance and security to reduce vandalism, while also accusing the owners of using repeated legal appeals to delay enforcement of court rulings that favored workers.
Despite the tension, both sides acknowledge that the case may be approaching a critical moment. The recent inspection could force concrete numbers onto the negotiating table — either accelerating a settlement or triggering a decisive court ruling.
For La Paz, the stakes go beyond labor law. The fate of Hotel Los Arcos is tied to the image of the city itself: a deteriorating landmark in the heart of the waterfront, waiting — like the workers who once staffed it — for a final resolution.
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