Venezuela, Diocese of Maracay, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes Catholic Church records from parishes for 1790 to 2011 from the Diocese of Maracay in the Aragua state as set in the early 21st century. Original records are kept by the Diócesis de Maracay in Venezuela. The diocese was established in 1958, but many parishes pertaining to it existed long before the diocese was created. The city Maracay was officially established in 1701.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish. For help reading these records please see the following:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

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

Birth Records
 * Name, age, and gender
 * Birth date and place
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Confirmation Records
 * Name, age, and gender
 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Names of parents
 * Names of godparents

Marriage Records
 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Birthplaces of groom and bride
 * Names of groom’s parents
 * Names of bride’s parents
 * Whether each was baptized
 * Place of baptism
 * Who performed the marriage
 * Names of witnesses

Burial records
 * Deceased’s name, gender, and age
 * Date and place of death
 * Date of birth
 * Marital status/name of spouse
 * Names of parents
 * Cause of death

Coverage Table
Records from the following places are included in this collection. Click the link in the Parish column to see the FamilySearch Catalog record and description of the the 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
 * Check the image the index was taken from to see if there is additional information
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing This Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * 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 of each spouse to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual

I Can't Find the Person I 'm Looking For, What Now?

 * 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
 * Venezuela Civil Registration are also a good substitute when baptism, marriage, and burial records can’t be found or are unavailable
 * 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.

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

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.