Mexico, Oaxaca, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection of Catholic Church records, such as baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials from the State of Oaxaca includes the years 1559 to 1988.

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.

For Help 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
 * 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

Marriage
 * 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

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

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. The census can help you find if your ancestors were married civilly or by the Catholic Church or both. Then you can proceed looking in those records for more information
 * 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
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference

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

 * Mexico, Oaxaca, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records 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. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * Also, consider looking at collections for surrounding localities. Guerrero is to the west, Puebla to the northwest, Veracruz to the north, and Chiapas to the east
 * 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 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.
 * Mexico Vital Records Index - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Mexico Baptisms - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Mexico Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Mexico Civil Registration Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Mexico Marriages - FamilySearch Historical 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.

México, Oaxaca, Registros da Igreja Católica (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)