Peru, Ayacucho, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
Births, marriages, deaths, indexes and other records created by civil registration offices in the department of Ayacucho, Peru. Some of these records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. Additional images and indexed records will be published as they become available.

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 (Naciamento)
 * Date and place of birth
 * Name and gender
 * Parent's names
 * Legitimacy

Marriage (Matrimonios)
 * Date and place of the registration
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Statement of religious affiliation
 * Names of witnesses
 * Bride’s marital status, occupation, nationality, and residence

Death (Defunciones)
 * Deceased’s name, gender, and age
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Name of person registering death and their relationship
 * Name of spouse or parents

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?

 * 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
 * Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area
 * The birth, marriage, and death records contain important information for at least two and sometimes three generations of ancestors in one document

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 Ayacucho
 * 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
 * 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

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Peru.
 * 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.