Yes, Americans and other foreigners may obtain direct ownership of property in the interior of Mexico. However, under Mexican law, foreigners cannot own property outright within the restricted zone. Instead, a real estate trust must be set up to hold title for the foreigner. Since foreigners are not able to enter into contracts in buy real estate, they must have a bank act on their behalf, much as a trust is use to hold property for minors because they also can not contract. The following is a brief outline of the law regarding such trust, known as "fideicomisos", but potential buyers should always get advice and have all real estate transactions overview by a licensed Mexican attorney.
this sounds like a contradiction.
Instead, a real estate trust must be set up to hold title for the foreigner.
that was my point. You and I must have different versions of "owning" property. Someone holding it in "trust" (an oxymoron in Mexico) is not owning it outright, like an American would own property in the US.
none the less, "owning in trust" or leasing does not render the property secure. It can be confiscated at any time.