Mexico, Chiapas, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Paroquiales de la Iglesia Católica del Estado de Chiapas, México.

Record Description
This collection contains Catholic Church records of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, marriage information, and deaths for the state of Chiapas in Mexico, with some records from parishes in Huehuetenango in Guatemala. The collection includes years 1558 to 1978. The text of the records is in Spanish.

For additional details about the history of these records and help using them, see the wiki article Mexico Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

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
Baptismal records generally contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name of child
 * Child's birth date and place
 * Gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Names of parents
 * Before 1820, social class of the parents
 * Sometimes the child's race

Marriage records generally contain the following information:


 * Name of the diocese
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name and age
 * Groom's marital status and residence
 * Names of groom's parents and their residence
 * Bride's name and age
 * Bride's marital status and residence
 * Names of bride's parents and their residence
 * Names of the witnesses and their residence
 * Sometimes the legitimacy and race of the bride and groom

Burial or death records generally contain the following information:


 * Name and age of deceased
 * Date of death or burial
 * Place of death or burial
 * Sometimes name of spouse, if married
 * Sometimes names of parents
 * Origin or residence of deceased
 * Sometimes race of the deceased

Search the Collection
To browse the collection by image: ⇒ Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the City or Town ⇒ Select the "Parish" ⇒ 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.

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

Surrounding Localities
Unable to find your ancestor? Try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Oaxaca is on the western boarder, Veracruz shares a small part of the western border, Tabasco is on the north and northeastern, and Guatemala is on the eastern.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Chiapas Maps
 * Chiapas History

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico
 * Chiapas
 * Mexico Church 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, Chiapas, Catholic Church Records, 1557-1978

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.