Guatemala, Ciudad de Guatemala, Census, 1877 - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of census enumerations of the city of Guatemala was taken in 1877.

The census enumeration pages are written in Spanish on ledger-style forms with columns. The genealogical information found in the census includes: name and surname, age at the time of the census, marital status, occupation, origin, gender, literacy and religion. The census is divided by canton.

This census covers only the city of Guatemala, which at the time contained the majority of the country’s population. The census was taken by regular citizens, therefore, there may be some errors in the spelling or data, as they recorded the information while the questions were answered verbally. The census enumerations are handwritten on ledger-style, legal-sized forms. The column headings at the top of the page are printed on the forms.

The census was taken to identify the living population, their education, origin, and social groups.

The census is a reliable source for statistical information. Some of the genealogical information that is not found in other records can be used to help research the exact vital data. Some data found in the census may also not be in the vital records.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading these records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Census enumeration schedules generally contain the following information:
 * Complete locality including the canton, street, house number, block number, and parish name
 * Given name and surname of each individual living in each house or property
 * Name of the head of household
 * Age of each individual
 * Marital status or civil status
 * Occupation of each individual
 * Birthplace of each individual
 * Gender of the adults: male or female
 * Gender of the children: boys or girls
 * Whether an individual knows how to write
 * Mental or physical disabilities
 * Religion
 * Race: whites, Indians (natives), mixed (mulatto)

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year
 * Family relationships

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Department
 * 2) Select City
 * 3) Select Parish
 * 4) Select Canton
 * 5) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Census records are especially valuable to quickly identify a family group, their residence, and the birthplace for each person along with their ages, which may help to search for other record types. These records can provide information about persons where church and civil records may be incomplete. However, use the information with caution, since it may contain inaccuracies. The informant (perhaps a member of the family or a neighbor) may have not known the facts or deliberately falsified the information.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age, residence and names of the parents to locate other church and civil records
 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name
 * Civil registration records are also a good source of genealogical information. You should obtain copies of both church records and civil registration, when possible, since they do not necessarily provide the same information. For example, baptismal registers sometimes provide the names of the fathers of illegitimate children when the civil registration does not
 * There may be more than one person with the same name
 * You ancestor may be using a nickname or alias
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby countries or immigration/emigration records
 * Hispanic Genealogy Research community on Facebook is a page sponsored by FamilySearch and here you may also post a question or upload an image of a document for further assistance.
 * Investigación Genealógica en Guatemala is another FamilySearch research community page on Facebook where you can post questions and upload images of documents. The majority of the posts on this page are in Spanish but you are welcome to post on the page in English. Be sure to click like on the page on

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Guatemala.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation:"Guatemala, Ciudad de Guatemala, Census, 1877." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Archivo General de Centro America, Guatemala (Central American Archives, Guatemala).

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