Mexico, Veracruz, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of Catholic Church parish records includes the years 1590 to 1978.

Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following guides:


 * 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

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
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names
 * Godparents' names
 * Before 1820, social class of the parents

Marriage Records
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Groom's date and place of birth
 * Groom's date and place of baptism and date and place of confirmation
 * Groom's age, civil status, origin and residence
 * Names of groom's parents, their origin and residence
 * Bride's date and place of birth
 * Bride's date and place of baptism and date and place of confirmation
 * Names of bride's parents, their age, occupation and residence
 * Names of the witnesses
 * Witnesses' civil status, occupation, origin, and residence
 * Length of time witnesses have known couple

Death or Burial Records
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Date and place of death or burial
 * Cause of death
 * Origin and residence of deceased
 * Spouse's name, if married
 * Sometimes, burial information

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Province
 * 2) Select Parish
 * 3) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

Search the collection by image 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.

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?

 * If possible, use what you know to find an image of the original record. The index contains only basic identifying information for a person; the original record therefore may contain more information not found in the index
 * Continue to search the index for family members
 * 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?
A useful Coverage Table for Mexico Baptisms is available in the wiki article Mexico Baptisms, Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Consult the Mexico Record Finder to find other 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. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * 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. Try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Veracruz is a long, thin state. Tamaulipas is on the north, Tabasco to the east, Chiapas with a small southeast border, Oaxaca along the southeast, then Puebla, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosí moving north along the western border
 * Consult the Mexico Record Finder to find other records

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.

"Mexico, Veracruz, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1978." Database and images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 14 June 2016. Parroquias Católicas, Veracruz (Catholic Church parishes, Veracruz).
 * Collection Citation:

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