Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registro Civil del Estado de Baja California y Baja California Sur, México.

Record Description
This collection includes civil records for Baja California and Baja California Sur and covers from 1860 to 2004.

Records, such as birth, marriages, and deaths, are organized by state and then by municipality/city. Early 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% 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 Mexican 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 generally contain the following information:


 * Birth date and place of birth
 * Name of child
 * Child’s gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names, and origin
 * Names of witnesses

Marriage records generally contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of bride and groom
 * Age(s)of bride and groom
 * Groom's civil status and occupation
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Death records generally contain the following information:


 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Birth date and place of deceased
 * Residence of deceased
 * Civil status and name of spouse
 * Names of parents
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Declarant's name, age and nationality
 * Declarant's relationship to deceased
 * Declarant's residence and occupation
 * Witnesses' names, age, nationality, residence, occupation and relationship to deceased
 * Place of burial (sometimes)

Search the Collection
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "City or Municipality" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category 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.

Using the Information
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. Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index of birth, marriage, or death. Use the locator information in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination. Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur. Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to births, marriages, and death make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

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. Baja California shares a small part of its northeastern border with Sonora and its northern border with California. Baja California Sur is surrounded by water excepting the northern border it shares with Baja California.

Related Websites

 * Baja California Maps
 * Baja California History

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico
 * Baja California
 * Baja California Sur
 * Mexico Civil Registration

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, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Civil Registration, 1860-2004

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.