Peru, Tacna, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records for the years 1850-1998. It contains births, marriages, deaths, indexes, and other records created by civil registration offices in Tacna, Peru. Additional images will be published as they become available.

The registration of births, marriages, and deaths in Peru documents the civil status of the residents.

These records are written in Spanish; see the section For Help Reading these Records for translation helps.

General Information about this Collection Peru's territory, according to the Regionalization Law which was passed on November 18, 2002, is divided into 26 units: 25 regions (regiones; singular: región) and the Lima Province. The regions are subdivided into provinces (provincias), which are composed of districts (distritos). Tacna is a region consisting of four provinces: Candarave, Jorge Basadre, Tacna, and Tarata.

Before the government instituted civil registration in Peru, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population. In 1852, during the Republican Era, the government instituted civil registration. This was first done by political authorities, such as prefecture, subprefecture, and state. In 1856, this responsibility was given to municipalities. Currently, civil registration is in the hands of RENIEC, which delegates the registration process to municipal registrars.

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


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish
 * To learn more about using the information in civil records, view these lessons for free:
 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish

What Can These Records Tell Me?
For genealogical research, the birth, marriage, and death records contain important information for at least two and sometimes three generations of ancestors in one document.

Birth records may include the following information:


 * Date and place of the registration
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents’ names, their age and residence
 * Names of witnesses

Marriage records may include the following:


 * Date and place of the registration
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's full name and age
 * Groom's marital status, occupation, nationality, and residence
 * Names of groom's parents and their residence
 * Bride’s full name and age
 * Bride's marital status, occupation, nationality, and residence
 * Names of bride's parents and their residence
 * Couple's statement of religious affiliation
 * Names of witnesses

Death records may include:


 * Time, date, and place of registration
 * Name, age, and gender of deceased (keep in mind that death records for women may be under their married name)
 * Date, place, and time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Parents' names of deceased
 * Sometimes, name of spouse
 * Names of witnesses their age(s) and residence
 * Name of person registering death and their relationship to the deceased

Coverage Table
As of 14 December 2016 this collection included records from the following districts or municipalities:

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Your ancestor’s name
 * Place of residence
 * Birthdate or approximate age range
 * Names of other family members

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Province
 * 2) Select District or Municipality
 * 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.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Extract as much information as you can and then, if possible, download or save a copy of the record. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details for the ancestor you’re working on and their family. Add this new information to the appropriate people in your tree. Use new information to lead you to other records.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant
 * For marriage and death records, name changes, shortened names, or nicknames may have been used by your ancestors, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record
 * Witnesses were sometimes relatives of the deceased or the deceased's parents
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify

Tips to Keep in Mind


 * If the record gives an estimated age, use that to calculate an approximate birth date
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * Check for variant spellings of names
 * Check records of a different type from the same location, for example, church records

I Can’t Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * If you are unable to find your ancestor(s) in these civil registers, then try searching in the areas surrounding Tacna. These regions neighbor Tacna:
 * Moquegua on the Northwest,
 * Puno on the Northeast,
 * Bolivia on the East,
 * Chile on the South, and the
 * Pacific Ocean on the West
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records
 * Peru Emigration and Immigration
 * Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable. Before the government instituted civil registration in Peru, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population
 * Peru Church Records
 * Peru Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Peru Marriages (FamilySearch Historical 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.

"Peru, Tacna, Civil Registration, 1850-1998." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Archivo Regional de Tacna (Tacna Regional Archives).
 * Collection Citation:

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