Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica Genealogy

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

History

 * The population of Guanacaste, today Liberia, arose from 1769 around a hermitage, although without a formal legal act of foundation.
 * In July 1824, its neighbors declined the invitation of the Nicaraguan government to join that country, but it became part of it in 1826, due to a law of the federal Congress of Central America, which added to Costa Rica all the territory of the former Nicoya Party.
 * Gradually displaced Nicoya as the main population of the territory and was erected at the head of the Department of Guanacaste.
 * In 1836 it received the title of city.
 * In 1854 it changed its name to Liberia, while the province was renamed Moracia.
 * After the coup d'état, the province was definitively called Guanacaste again, but its head kept the name of Liberia.
 * The Canton of Liberia has a population of approximately 72,500 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 ($)
 * 2011-2015 Costa Rica, Death Index, 2011-2015 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 2011-2015 Costa Rica, Marriage and Related Records Index, 2011-2015 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Church Records

 * 1595-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Iglesia Católica (Guanacaste, Guanacaste) Registros parroquiales, 1790-1826 - Click on the link to see the records’ availability.
 * Iglesia Católica. La Inmaculada Concepción (Liberia, Guanacaste) Registros parroquiales, 1818-1942 - Click on the link to see the records’ availability.

Cemeteries
Indexes of burials in the cemeteries of the La Cruz Canton may be found at findagrave.com
 * 1958-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Cementerio Municipal de Liberia
 * Dirección: Avenida 17, Liberia
 * Cementerio de Sardinal
 * Cementerio de Los Jocotes