Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes civil records for Baja California and Baja California Sur and covers from 1860 to 2004.

Records, such as birth, marriages, and deaths, are organized by state and then by municipality/city. Early records were handwritten in narrative style; later records were handwritten in formatted registers.

Civil records in Mexico cover about 90 to 95% of the population. Beginning in 1859, the Mexican government began requiring births, marriages, and deaths to be recorded by civil authorities on a municipality/district level. Although these records are a great source of genealogical information, they are not complete as civil registration wasn't strictly enforced in Mexico until 1867 and people did not always comply. For this reason, church registers should be used alongside the civil records. The civil records of Mexico have been preserved relatively well. Only some of the older registers may have some physical damage. However, in general they are in good condition to extract genealogical information.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading these records see the following guides:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

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

Birth Records
 * Birth date and place of birth
 * Name of child
 * Child’s gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names, and origin
 * Names of witnesses

Marriage Records
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of bride and groom
 * Age(s)of bride and groom
 * Groom's civil status and occupation
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Death Records
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Birth date and place of deceased
 * Residence of deceased
 * Civil status and name of spouse
 * Names of parents
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Declarant's name, age,nationality, residence, occupation and relationship to deceased
 * Witnesses' names, age, nationality, residence, occupation and relationship to deceased
 * Place of burial (sometimes)

Collection Content
For additional details about these records and help using them see Mexico Civil Registration Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

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

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select City or Municipality
 * 2) 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.

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
 * 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; see the section Citing This Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * 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 looking in those records for more information

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

 * Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records) may also be a good substitute when civil records of births, marriages, and deaths cannot be found or are unavailable
 * 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
 * Also, consider looking at collections for surrounding localities. Baja California shares a small part of its northeastern border with Sonora and its northern border with California. Baja California Sur is surrounded by water except for the northern border that it shares with Baja California
 * 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 in your research for your family in Mexico.
 * Record Finder
 * 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.