Mexico, Guerrero, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registro Civil del Estado de Guerrero, México

Record Description
This collection of civil records for Guerrero covers the inclusive years of 1833 to 1996.

This is a collection of civil registration records for Mexico. Records—such as birth, marriages, and deaths—are organized by state and then by municipality/city. Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style; later records were handwritten in formatted registers. The text of these records is in Spanish.

Civil records in Mexico cover about 90 to 95 percent of the population. Beginning in 1859, the Mexican government began requiring births, marriages, and deaths to be recorded by civil authorities on a municipality/district level. Although these records are a great source of genealogical information, they are not complete as civil registration wasn't strictly enforced in Mexico until 1867 and people did not always comply. For this reason, church registers must be used alongside the civil records. The civil records of Mexico have been preserved relatively well. Only some of the older registers may have some physical damage; however, in general they are in good condition to extract genealogical information.

The Mexico civil registration was created to record the vital events of birth, marriage, death, and other civil events, which would determine and prove the civil status, existence, and condition of the population.

The civil registration records of Mexico are a reliable source for doing genealogical research.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Birth records usually contain the following information:


 * Name and gender of child
 * Child's birth date and place
 * Presenter's name
 * Parents' names
 * Parents' age(s), occupation, nationality and residence
 * Paternal grandparents
 * Maternal grandparents
 * Names of witnesses, their ages, occupation and residence

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Groom's age, origin, civil status, occupation and residence
 * Groom's parents' names
 * Bride's age, origin, civil status, occupation and residence
 * Bride's parents' names
 * Names of witnesses

Death records usually contain the following information:


 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Date, time and place of death
 * Civil status and nationality of deceased
 * Spouse's name, their nationality and residence
 * Parents' names
 * Declarant's name, age, civil status, occupation and residence
 * Declarant's relationship to deceased
 * Witnesses' name, age, nationality and residence
 * Witnesses' relationship to deceased
 * Burial information

How to Use the Records
The civil registration records in Mexico are an excellent source for genealogical research after 1867. Important genealogical data can be found in these records, which may also include data of other family members to fill in another generation group.

Search the Collection
To search the collection by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

To browse the collection by image: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "City, Municipality, District" ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following resources:


 * Mexico Language and Languages
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3

Related Websites

 * Guerrero Maps
 * Guerrero History

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico
 * Guerrero
 * Mexico Civil Registration
 * Mexico Civil Registration Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation for This Collection
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Mexico, Guerrero, Civil Registration, 1833-1996

The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.