Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica Genealogy

Guide to Canton of Nicoya ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History

 * The district of Nicoya, created in 1554.
 * From 1558 to 1593, it was independent (it is understood that it did not belong to any of the other surrounding provinces, although it was always under Spanish rule).
 * From 1593 to 1602, it remained united to Costa Rica.
 * From 1602 to 1786, it was independent, although it was sometimes considered a territory of Costa Rica.
 * From 1786 to 1824, it was part of Nicaragua, but with strong economic ties to Costa Rica.
 * In 1787, the city of Nicoya became the head of the Nicoya party and was added to the Leon de Nicaragua administration.
 * On July 25, 1824, the Municipality of Nicoya, in an open council, decided to annex itself to the State of Costa Rica, thus delimiting a good part of its jurisdiction.
 * On December 11, 1837, the title of Villa was granted to the people of Nicoya.
 * On December 7, 1848, Nicoya was created as canton number two of the Province of Guanacaste.
 * On July 24, 1918, the title of city was granted to the town of Nicoya.
 * The Canton of Nicoya has a population of approximately 50,800 people.

Civil Registration

 * 1823-1975 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1860-1975 Costa Rica, Civil Registration, 1860-1975 at Ancestry - images ($)

Church Records

 * 1595-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Iglesia Católica. San Blas de Nicoya (Nicoya, Guanacaste) Registros parroquiales, 1783-1973 - Click on the link to see the records’ availability.

Cemeteries
Indexes of burials in the cemeteries of the Nicoya Canton may be found at findagrave.com
 * 1958-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Cementerio de Nicoya
 * Dirección: Avenida 4, Guadalupe, Nicoya
 * Horas: Abierto las 24 horas
 * Cementerio Nambi
 * Dirección: 5GW6+43H, Nambí de Nicoya
 * Cementerio Corralillo
 * Dirección: 6J77+QQ7, Moracia de Nicoya