Nuevo León Archives and Libraries

Historical Archive in Nuevo León (Archivo General del Estado de Nuevo León)
The Historical Achive of Nuevo León is located at:

Ave. Fundidora esq. con Adolfo Prieto Edificio de Antiguas Oficinas Generales. Col. Obrera, C.P. 64010, Monterrey, N.L., México Tel. 2020 9850 Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm

Among the many and varied documents that we can consult in this archive...


 * The archive contains diverse works that contain accounts of the establishment of the first colonizers of this region.
 * You can find pre-1940 civil registration documents.
 * You can consult microfilms of parish registers kept by local priests from their arrival to the region (since the Spanish colonization process took place alongside the evangelization process and the founding of Catholic missions by the Franciscan missionaries).

Some of the noteworthy individuals who labored on behalf of the indigenous population and created hospices in their labor on behalf of the indigenous population were: Fray José de San Gabriel, Fray Lorenzo Cantú, Fray Francisco de Ribera, Fray Fransico Lavado, Fray Nicolás Gago, Fray Antonio Martil de Jesús, and Fray Diego de Salazar. These missionaries were some of the pioneers in the establishment of records of the indigenous population as the natives were converted. Just like those of Spanish and Mestizo descent, the natives also needed the sacraments of the church, and some of those events were recorded and the records preserved in the old books used by the Franciscan missionaries.

After surviving the ravages of nature and Indian uprisings, the Nuevo León community began to live an era of peace at the end of the eighteenth century. This lasted until the war of independence began on 16 September 1810. In Nuevo León, this meant the beginning of the affiliation of the indigenous population and farmers with the insurgent cause. Later, however, both the governor, Manuel Santa María, and the royal army leader of the territoy, Juan Ignacio Ramón, converted to the revolutionary cause. At the end of the war, the New Kingdom of León was officially declared the sovereign and free state of Nuevo León in 1824.

More information on the state of Nuevo León can be found in many works contained in the General Archive of the State of Nuevo León. The official state newspaper, for example, has changed its name more than thirty times, yet it can be consulted in the archives. For more information, see the website:

http://www.nl.gob.mx/?P=poe_historia