Up north a lawyer had more education than a notario and down here the opposite. You can become an attorney first then study some more to become a notario.
Do not lump everyone together, everyone is different.you can get 2 people from different countries, some are alike and some definitely not. Do not pit one country from another...enough
If you have a Mexican passport you get in the Mexican line otherwise you are a visitor, permanente and temporal are visas which mean you are a visitor.
I no longer go to Escalera but am told by a friend that does go there that it is no longer owned by Escalera. He is just keeping the name because lots of people still go there.