San Mateo, Alajuela, Costa Rica Genealogy

Guide to Canton of San Mateo ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History

 * The natives who survived the epidemics and the conquest were transferred to "Pueblos de Indios" where they were entrusted and exploited by the Spanish.
 * In 1574 they established the "Pueblo de Indios de Santa Catalina" in what is now San Mateo (canton); and in 1569 they created the "Pueblo de Indios de Barva".
 * Starting in 1820, gold mining was developed in the Montes del Aguacate, whose boom occurred especially in the 1820s and 1830s.
 * Later, San Mateo developed thanks to the fact that the highway between San José and Puntarenas passed through its territory and, later, the railroad to the Pacific.
 * The Canton of San Mateo has a population of approximately 8,300 people.

Civil Registration

 * 1823-1975 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1860-1975 Costa Rica, Civil Registration, 1860-1975 at Ancestry - images ($)

Church Records

 * 1595-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Costa Rica, Alajuela, San Mateo, Parroquia San Mateo Apóstol, registros parroquiales, 1980-2016 - Click on the link to see the records’ availability.
 * Iglesia Católica (San Mateo, Alajuela) Registros parroquiales, 1877-1945 - Click on the link to see the records’ availability.

Cemeteries
Indexes of burials in the cemeteries of the San Mateo Canton may be found at findagrave.com
 * 1958-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Cementerio Jesús María
 * Dirección: Vía 131, Jesús María, San Mateo
 * Cementerio Municipal San Mateo
 * Calle Cementerio, San Mateo