What a notario público actually does
A state official who formalises your transaction — and is not, despite the familiar word, your lawyer.
The notario público in Mexico is a state-appointed official with quasi-judicial authority over property transfers. The role has no equivalent in the United States or Canada, and the familiar word is misleading: a US notary witnesses signatures, a Mexican notario formalises the transaction itself.
The notario is neutral. He is not your advocate.
Foreign buyers routinely assume the notario is protecting their interests the way their own lawyer would. He is not, and is not supposed to. He formalises, registers, and collects the applicable taxes.
That gap — believing you are represented when you are not — is where a large share of bad outcomes for foreign buyers begins. It is why an independent attorney reviews every document separately, and why the buyer, not the seller, should choose the notario.