Mexico, Michoacán, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of Catholic Church records for the State of Michoacan covers the years 1549 to 1909. Often in Catholic Church records, separate books were kept for baptisms, confirmations, marriage information documents, marriages, and deaths. However, in smaller areas, all records may be recorded on one register. In larger parishes a separate book was usually maintained for confirmations, while in smaller parishes the confirmations may have been included with the baptisms. In larger parishes, most of the marriage banns (informaciones matrimoniales) may be registered separately. In smaller parishes, these records were included in the marriage entry or the confirmations may have been included with the baptisms or even with marriages. In larger parishes, a separate book of confirmations was usually maintained. These records are in relatively fair condition, with the exception of some older records that may be damaged and, therefore, hard to read or missing some information. Most of the older records are handwritten in narrative style and follow a common text with some variations depending on the style used by the priest. Newer records are handwritten in formatted registers; some are even written in ledger style registers.

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

Reading These Records
Example: These records are in Spanish. For assistance with the Spanish language, see the section For Help Reading These Records.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

 * Baptism
 * Confirmation
 * Marriage
 * Death

Sample Images
Baptism or confirmation records may include the following information:


 * Date and place of the baptism or confirmation
 * Child's given name and gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Parents' names and place of birth or residence
 * Names of paternal and maternal grandparents
 * Names of godparents
 * Names of witnesses

Marriage records may include the following information:


 * Place and date of the marriage
 * Name and age of groom and bride
 * Civil status, origin and residence of groom and bride
 * Names and nationality of parents of groom and bride and if deceased
 * Names, age, civil status, and residence of witnesses

Death or burial records may include the following information:


 * Date and place of death or burial
 * Name of deceased
 * Cause of death
 * Civil status, and origin of deceased
 * Parents' names
 * Witnesses' names

Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the people in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if you have the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person in order to find your ancestor.

As with any index, transcription errors could have occurred and not all information may be transcribed. It is recommended you verify the information with the original record.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated birth, marriage or death year

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

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

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?
The Catholic Church parish records are an excellent source for genealogical research in Mexico. These may also be the only records available for Spanish research before civil registration was implemented in 1871.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in 1930, Mexico National Census
 * 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
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?
If you were unable to find your ancestor try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Colima is to the west, Jalisco to the northwest, Guanajuato to north, Querétaro to the northeast, Estado de México to the east, and Guerrero to the southeast. New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back to see if your ancestor’s records have been added. You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections. Watch for an asterisk for recently added or updated records.
 * Consult the Mexico Record Finder to find other records.
 * A useful Coverage Table for Mexico Baptisms is available in the wiki article Mexico Baptisms, Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * 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. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached 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.

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.

"Mexico, Michoacán, Catholic Church Records, 1555-1996." Database and Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 17 February 2017. Parroquias Católicas, Michoacan (Catholic Church parishes, Michoacan).
 * Collection Citation:

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