Mexico, Jalisco, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of parish records for the State of Jalisco includes the years 1590 to 1979.

Often in Catholic Church records, separate books were kept for baptisms, confirmations, marriage information documents, marriages, and deaths. However, in smaller areas, all records may be recorded on one register. In larger parishes a separate book was usually maintained for confirmations, while in smaller parishes the confirmations may have been included with the baptisms. In larger parishes, most of the marriage banns (informaciones matrimoniales) may be registered separately. In smaller parishes, these records were included in the marriage entry or the confirmations may have been included with the baptisms or even with marriages. In larger parishes, a separate book of confirmations was usually maintained.

These records are in relatively fair condition, with the exception of some older records that may be damaged and, therefore, hard to read or missing some information. Most of the older records are handwritten in narrative style and follow a common text with some variations depending on the style used by the priest. Newer records are handwritten in formatted registers; some are even written in ledger style registers.

Reading These Records
Example: These records are in Spanish. For assistance with the Spanish language, see the section For Help Reading These Records.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

 * Birth
 * Baptism
 * Marriage
 * Death

Sample Images
Baptism records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Legitimacy
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Parents' names
 * Names of paternal grandparents
 * Names of maternal grandparents
 * Names of witnesses

Confirmation records usually contain the following information:


 * Name and age of person being confirmed
 * Date of confirmation
 * Parish of confirmation
 * Legitimacy
 * Father's name
 * Mother's name
 * Godparents's names

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name, age, civil status, origin and nationality
 * Groom's occupation and residence
 * Names of groom's parents and if deceased
 * Groom's parents' occupation, origin and nationality
 * Bride's name, age, civil status, origin and nationality
 * Bride's occupation and residence
 * Names of bride's parents and if deceased
 * Bride's parents' occupation, origin and nationality
 * Names of the witnesses and their residence

Death records may contain the following information:


 * Name and age of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Civil status and origin of deceased
 * Spouse's name if married, and their age
 * Parents' names
 * Declarant's name, age and civil status

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 birth, marriage or death year

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select City or Town
 * 2) Select Parish
 * 3) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following resources:


 * Mexico Language and Languages
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3

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
 * 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

I Can’t Find The Person I’m Looking For, What Now?
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.
 * Consult the Mexico Record Finder to find other 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
 * If you are unable to find your ancestor try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Nayarit is to the northwest, Zacatecas to the northeast with Aguascalientes, Guanajuato to the east, Michoacán to the southeast, and Colima to the south.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

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.

"Mexico, Jalisco, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1979." Database and Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 17 February 2017. Citing Parroquias Católicas, Jalisco [Catholic Church parishes, Jalisco].
 * Collection Citation:

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