Mexico, Nuevo León, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registro Civil del Estado de Nuevo León, México.

Record Description
This collection of civil records for Nuevo León covers the years 1859 to 1962.

This is a collection of civil registration records for Mexico. Records, such as birth, marriages, and deaths, are organized by state and then by municipality/city. Earlier 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 percent 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.

Record Content
Birth records may contain the following:


 * Date of record
 * Presenter's name, age, origin, residence and race
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child’s date and place of birth
 * Parents' names, age, origin and race
 * Paternal grandparents
 * Maternal grandparents
 * Witnesses' names, ages and origins

Marriage records may contain the following:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Groom's age, civil status, occupation, origin, residence and race
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's age, legitimacy and race
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses, their age and occupation

Death records may contain the following:


 * Name, age and nationality of deceased
 * Date, time and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Parents' names
 * Civil status and name of spouse, if married at time of death
 * Witnesses' names, age and residence
 * Sometimes, place of burial

Search the Collection
To browse the collection by image: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "City or Municipality" ⇒ Select the "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one 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.

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. Coahuila is to the west, Tamaulipas to the east, and San Luis Potosí to the southwest. Nuevo León shares about a 10 mile border with Texas on the north and about a 7 mile border with Zacatecas on the southwest.

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

 * Nuevo León Maps
 * Nuevo León History

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico
 * Nuevo León
 * Mexico Civil Registration
 * Mexico Civil Registration Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually. Collection Citation:  Image Citation: