Peru Genealogy

Guide to Peru ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Country Information
Peru is a country in South America bordered by Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile. It was formerly a colony of Spain. The official languages are Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara.

Finding Your Ancestors' Town in Peru

 * Genealogical records are organized by geographical locality. Civil registration (government birth, marriage, and death records) and church records (christenings/baptisms, marriages, and burials) were kept at the local level. To search these records, you must know the town where your ancestors lived.
 * If you do not know your ancestors' town, follow the advice in the Wiki article, Peru Finding Town of Origin, to search a variety of records that might provide that information.

Departments
Peru is currently divided into 25 departments. The Peruvian departments are sub-divided into provinces, and the provinces are sub-divided into districts.

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Historical Records
 * FamilySearch Center locator map

Research Tutorials

 * Search page
 * Introduction to Hispanic Research
 * Deciphering Spanish Handwriting


 * U.S. Hispanic Immigration
 * U.S. Hispanic Immigrants: Finding their Place of Origin
 * Improve your Search Results in FamilySearch Hispanic Records

Other Resources

 * BYU Script Spanish Tutorials