Mexico, México, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains baptism, marriage, marriage info, and death records from the state of Mexico includes the years 1567-1970.

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?

 * Baptism
 * Confirmation
 * Marriage
 * Death

Sample Images
Baptism records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Names of the parents
 * Godparents
 * Before 1820, social class of the parents
 * Sometimes, the person’s race

Confirmation records usually contain the following information:


 * Child's name, age and origin
 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Godparents' names

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Marriage date and place
 * Groom and Bride's names, marital status, occupation, age, origin and residence
 * Groom and Bride's birth and baptism date and place
 * Parents' names
 * Legitimacy
 * Witnesses' names, origin, residence, age, marital status, occupation and length of association with the couple

Death records usually contain the following information:


 * Name and age of the deceased
 * Name of spouse and children
 * Cause and date of death
 * Burial location

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know: As with any index, transcription errors could have occurred and not all information may be transcribed. It is recommended you verify the information with the original record.
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated birth, baptism, marriage or death year

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?
A useful Coverage Table for Mexico Baptisms is available in the wiki article Mexico Baptisms, Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records) If you are unable to find your ancestor try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Michoacán is to the west, Querétaro to the northwest, Hidalgo to the north and east, Tlaxcala to the east, Distrito Federal in the center southeast, Morelos to the southeast, and Guerrero to the south. 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

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, México, Catholic Church Records, 1567-1970." Database and images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 17 February 2017. Parroquias Católicas, Estado de Mexico (Catholic Church parishes, Estado de Mexico).
 * Collection Citation:

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