Mexico, Zacatecas, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of Catholic Church records for the State of Zacatecas includes the years 1605 to 1980.

Reading These Records
For help reading these Spanish records, see the following guides:

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lessons may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * 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
 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism or confirmation records
 * Date and place of baptism or confirmation
 * Name and gender of child
 * Names of the parents
 * Age of the person being baptized or the person’s birth date
 * Legitimacy
 * Before 1820, social class of the parents
 * Sometimes the person’s race

Marriage records
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the betrothed
 * Names of the parents
 * Names of the witnesses
 * Ages and marital statuses of the betrothed
 * Places of origin and residence of the betrothed and sometimes that of the parents
 * Legitimacy of the betrothed
 * Sometimes the race of the betrothed

Death or burial records
 * Date and place of death or burial
 * Name of the deceased
 * Sometimes the names of the parents or the spouse, if the deceased was married
 * Age of the deceased person at time of death
 * Place of residence or origin of the deceased person
 * Sometimes the race of the deceased

Collection Content
For additional details about these records and help using them see Mexico Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

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 marriage or birth year
 * Family relationships

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.

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.

I Found the Person 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?
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.
 * Zacatecas Civil Registration are also a good substitute when church records of births, marriages, and deaths cannot be found or are unavailable
 * 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
 * A boundary change could have occurred, and the record of you ancestor is now in a neighboring province. Search the records and indexes of neighboring cities, provinces, and regions
 * Also, consider looking at collections for surrounding localities. Durango is to the west, Coahuila to the north, San Luis Potosí to the east, and Jalisco and Aguascalientes on the south. Zacatecas also shares about a six mile border with Nayarit to the southwest, and about a seven mile border with Nuevo León to the northeast

Record Finder
Consult the Mexico Record Finder Table to find other records

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.


 * Collection Citation:"México, Zacatecas, registros parroquiales, 1605-1980." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Paróquias Católicas, Zacatecas (Catholic Church parishes, Zacatecas).

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