MxMining

According to the 1960 census, 23% of Mexico's cultivated land belonged to ejidos so if you're in the mining industry in Mexico it's likely that you'll run into this type of land ownership.

Wikipedia defines an Ejido as:

The ejido system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico.

Sometimes in Mexico it is very hard to determine land ownership and even if you think you know whose land it is you'll probably want to check to know for sure if there are any disputes about the property boundaries.

When it comes to the ownership or any disputes about the boundaries of ejidos there are a couple of federal entities that can help you or the ejidatarios to deal with the issues involved. A lot of times if there are issues regarding the ownership of the land the problems can be rectified by providing

the ejido with the economic resources to pay for traveling expenses or the means to pay for a proper survey of the area.

• Registro Agrario Nacional - The National Agrario Registry is a decentralized body of the Ministry of Agrario Reform and is responsible for supervising land tenure, the communal ejidos, and to provide the correct documentation as per the implementation of the Agrario Act.
• Secretaria de la Reforma Agraria - The Ministry of Agrarian Reform is responsible for providing legal certainty in land tenure and to develop public policies that promote access to justice and integrated agricultural development.

Much of the time you'll find that the ejido councils are very easy to deal with. An ejido really is a cooperative so the ejidatarios already have in mind that any benefits should be for the ejido as a whole.

It's hard to know exactly what an ejido will expect in return for surface access rights to their land, but here's an example and somewhat generous agreement that was made by West Timmins Mining Corporation.

From West Timmins Mining Incorporated May 13/2008 News Release:

Under the El Rodeo Agreement WTM will make annual payments of four hundred Mexican pesos per hectare (approximately $40 Canadian dollars per hectare), based on the use of 2,000 hectares, during the period that it is actively exploring or mining within the boundaries of the El Rodeo community. WTM will also construct a two room building for a medical clinic, expand the local school house and annually sponsor one student from the community to attend high school. WTM will also work, in cooperation with the municipal council of Alamos, Sonora, to upgrade the road network in the El Rodeo area providing improved access for on-going exploration activities. The agreement has a minimum two year term.