Mexico, Durango, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains Catholic Church records of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, marriage information, and deaths for the state of Durango Mexico. The collection includes the years 1604-1985. For additional details about these records and help using them see Mexico Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading them see: FamilySearch Learning Center videos: If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism
 * Date of baptism
 * Event place (almost always the parish saint name)
 * Gender
 * Name of the person being baptized
 * Age of the person being baptized or birth date
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names
 * Marital status of parents
 * Sometimes the place of origin and/or residence of the parents
 * Social class of the parents in baptismal entries prior to 1820
 * In some registers the race
 * Grandparents and godparents

Marriage
 * Date of marriage
 * Event place (almost always the parish saint name)
 * Name of groom and bride
 * Age and civil status of groom and bride
 * Parents names
 * Place of origin and residence of the marriage partners, sometimes even that of the parents
 * In some registers the race

Death
 * Date of death and/or burial
 * Event place (almost always the parish saint name)
 * Name of the deceased person
 * Parents and/or spouse, if the person was married
 * Age of the deceased person
 * Place of origin and/or residence of the deceased
 * Legitimacy
 * In some registers the race

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage birth or death date

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?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in 1930, Mexico National Census. The census can help you find if your ancestors were married civilly or by the Catholic Church or both. Then you can proceed to look in those records for more information
 * 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
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference

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

 * Mexico, Durango, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records are also a good substitute when church records of births, marriages, and deaths cannot be found or are unavailable
 * A useful Coverage Table for Mexico Baptisms is available in the wiki article Mexico Baptisms, Coverage Table - FamilySearch Historical 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 to be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * Also, consider looking at collections for surrounding localities. Sinaloa is to the west, Chihuahua to the north, Coahuila to the northeast, Zacatecas to the southeast, and Nayarit to the south.
 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed, or updated. Periodically check back to see if your ancestor’s records have been added. You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections. Watch for an asterisk for recently added or updated records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in Mexico.
 * Mexico Record Finder
 * Mexico Research Tips and Strategies

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.

México, Durango, Registros da Igreja Católica (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)