Mexico, San Luis Potosí, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Mexico

What is in This Collection?
This collection of civil records for San Luis Potosí covers the years 1859 to 2000.

This is a collection of civil registration records for Mexico. Records, such as birth, marriages, and deaths, are organized by state and then by municipality/city. Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style; later records were handwritten in formatted registers.

Civil records in Mexico cover about 90 to 95 percent 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 must 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, they are generally in good condition to extract genealogical information. The civil registration records in Mexico are an excellent source for genealogical research after 1867. Important genealogical data can be found in these records, which may also include data of other family members to fill in another generation group.

The Mexican civil registration was created to record the vital events of birth, marriage, death, and other civil events, which would determine and prove the civil status, existence, and condition of the population.

The civil registration records of Mexico are a reliable source for doing genealogical research.

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


 * 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

Sample Images
Birth records may contain the following:


 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Presenter/father's name, age, civil status, origin and residence
 * Parents' names, age, occupation, origin, religion and race
 * Paternal grandparents
 * Maternal grandparents
 * Witnesses' names, their age, civil status, occupation and origin

Marriage records may contain the following:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom and their civil status
 * Names of parents
 * Name of witnesses, their age, civil status, occupation and origin

Death records may contain the following:


 * Name and gender of deceased
 * Civil status and nationality of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Parents' names and their nationality
 * Sometimes, spouse's name if married
 * Declarant's name, age, nationality and residence
 * Decflarant's relationship to deceased
 * Sometimes, burial information

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The given name and surname of the person
 * The type of event
 * The estimated date of the event

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.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

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?

 * Consult the Mexico Record Finder to find other records 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. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * Try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Zacatecas is to the west, Nuevo León to the north, Tamaulipas to the northeast, Veracruz to the east, Hidalgo to the southeast, and Guanajuato to the south
 * Consult the Mexico Record Finder to find other records

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, San Luis Potosi, Civil Registration, 1859-2000." Database and Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 17 January 2018. Direccion Estatal del Registro Civil del Estado de San Luis Potosi (San Luis Potosi Civil Registry State Archives).
 * Collection Citation:

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