Mexico, Zacatecas, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of Catholic Church records for the State of Zacatecas includes the years 1605 to 1980.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading them see: FamilySearch Learning Center videos: If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism or confirmation
 * Date and place of baptism or confirmation
 * Name and gender of child
 * Names of the parents
 * Age of the person being baptized or the person’s birth date
 * Legitimacy
 * Before 1820, social class of the parents
 * Sometimes the person’s race

Marriage records
 * Date and of marriage
 * Names of the betrothed
 * Names of the parents
 * Names of the witnesses
 * Ages and marital statuses of the betrothed
 * Places of origin and residence of the betrothed and sometimes that of the parents
 * Legitimacy of the betrothed
 * Sometimes the race of the betrothed

Death or burial
 * Date and place of death or burial
 * Name of the deceased
 * Sometimes the names of the parents or the spouse, if the deceased was married
 * Age of the deceased person at time of death
 * Place of residence or origin of the deceased person
 * Sometimes the race of the deceased

Collection Content
For additional details about these records and help using them see Mexico Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records.

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 marriage or birth year
 * Family relationships

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?

 * Zacatecas Civil Registration are also a good substitute when church records of births, marriages, and deaths cannot be found or are unavailable
 * A useful Coverage Table for Mexico Baptisms is available in the wiki article Mexico Baptisms, Coverage Table - 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
 * A boundary change could have occurred, and the record of you ancestor is now in a neighboring province. Search the records and indexes of neighboring cities, provinces, and regions
 * Also, consider looking at collections for surrounding localities. Durango is to the west, Coahuila to the north, San Luis Potosí to the east, and Jalisco and Aguascalientes on the south. Zacatecas also shares about a six mile border with Nayarit to the southwest, and about a seven mile border with Nuevo León to the northeast

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in Mexico.
 * Mexico Record Finder
 * Mexico Research Tips and Strategies

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Mexico, Zacatecas, Civil Registration, 1860-2000

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, Zacatecas registros parroquiales y diocesanos (Registros históricos de FamilySerch)México, Zacatecas, Registros da Igreja Católica (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)