Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica en el Distrito Federal de México

Collection Time Period
This collection of Catholic Church parish records covers the years 1536-1970.

Record Description
This collection only includes baptismal records. In general, separate books were kept for baptisms, confirmations, marriage information documents, marriages, and burials. The entries were normally made in chronological order. Confirmations were not consistently recorded; however, these can generally be found in the baptismal registers. Sacramental ordinance entries, such as baptisms, are handwritten in narrative style following an established format.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in most baptismal records:


 * Date of baptism [[Image:Mexico Distrito Federal Catholic Church Records (09-0107) Baptism 004441372 00017.jpg|thumb|right]]
 * Name of the baptized
 * Age of the baptized or the date of birth
 * Place where baptized and/or place of birth
 * Gender of the baptized
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents' names and sometimes their residence or places of origin
 * Grandparents’ names and/or Godparents' names
 * Witness’s name

How to Use the Records
Parish registers are the best Mexican records to identify individuals, parents, and spouses before 1859, when the civil registration was implemented. Be sure to search both the parish and civil records after 1860, since some families did not consistently register their children with either of them. In order to find information in the parish registers, it is necessary to know the place where the ancestors lived, name of the person, and approximate year of the event.

Record History
In 1527, the Roman Catholic Church was established in Mexico with the creation of the Tlaxcala and Mexico dioceses. It was only in the late 19th century that other religious groups began to be established in Mexico. The bound registers hold baptisms, marriages, death/burials, and other ecclesiastical documents in separate volumes. Each record is written in narrative style and, in more recent years, in formatted records. These registers are created and kept by the priest at the parish level and later sent to the diocesan archive for preservation.

Why the Record Was Created
Mexican Catholic Church parish registers were created to record the baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials, and other ecclesiastical documents; these records were also used for statistical purposes.

Record Reliability
Mexican Catholic Church parish registers are the most reliable and accurate family history sources before 1859, when Reformation Laws established and enforced civil registration. After that date, both parish registers and civil registration should be researched and verified with each other.

Related Websites
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Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico
 * Mexico Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Please add sample citations to this article following the format guidelines in the wiki article listed above. A full bibliographic record is available in the Family History Library Catalog.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection:
"Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records, 1886-1933." index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 25 March 2011). entry for Reyes Cirilo Morales Avila, baptized 9 February 1919citing Church Records, FHL microfilm 4,441,370; Arquidiocesis de Mexico, Ciudud de Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico.

Sources of Information for This Collection:
"Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records", index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org); from Arquidiócesis de Mexico, Secretaría del Arzobispado, Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal, México. "Registros parroquiales, 1536-1970." Various local Catholic Church parish archives throughout the Distrito Federal. FHL 3,507 microfilm reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Digital copies of original records are also housed at various local Catholic Church parish archives throughout the Distrito Federal, Mexico. Such as:


 * Iglesia Católica. Nuestra Señora de Lourdes (Centro, Distrito Federal). Registros parroquiales, 1897-1933.
 * Iglesia Católica. San Pedro Apóstol (Cuajimalpa, Distrito Federal). Registros parroquiales, 1886-1923.
 * Iglesia Católica. San Diego (Tacubaya, Distrito Federal). Registros parroquiales, 1908-1919.

The format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections, including how to cite individual archives is found in the following link: How to Create Source Citations for FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.