Mexico, Jalisco, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection of civil records for Jalisco covers the years 1857 to 2000.

The civil registration records for Mexico cover the vital events of birth, marriages, and deaths. They are organized by state and then by municipality/city. Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style; later records were handwritten in formatted registers.

These records are written in Spanish. Here is a link to a Spanish Genealogical Word List which may be helpful. Also, see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

Civil records in Mexico cover about 90 to 95 % of the population. Beginning in 1859, the Mexican government began requiring births, marriages, and deaths to be recorded by civil authorities on a municipality/district level. Although these records are a great source of genealogical information, they are not complete as civil registration wasn't strictly enforced in Mexico until 1867 and people did not always comply. For this reason, it is suggested to use church registers alongside the civil records to help in your research. The civil records of Mexico have been preserved relatively well. Only some of the older registers may have some physical damage; however, in general they are in good condition and are a reliable source to extract genealogical information.

Sample Images
Birth records may contain the following information:


 * Date of record
 * Name and gender of child
 * Child’s date and place of birth
 * Parents' names, age, civil status and residence
 * Paternal grandparents
 * Maternal grandparents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Witnesses' age, occupation, civil status and residence

Marriage records may contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Groom's age, origin, civil status, occupation and residence
 * Names of groom's parents, their origin and residence
 * Bride's age, origin, civil status, occupation and residence
 * Names of bride's parents, their occupations, religion and race
 * Name of witnesses
 * Witnesses' age, civil status, occupation, and residence
 * Witnesses' relationship to couple

Death records may contain the following information:


 * Name and age of deceased
 * Date, time and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Civil status and nationality of deceased
 * Spouse's name if married
 * Parents' names, age, occupation, origin and residence
 * Declarant's name and relationship to deceased
 * Witnesses' name, age, nationality, and residence
 * Witnesses' relationship to deceased
 * Sometimes, burial information

How Do I Search the Collection?
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page  ⇒ Select the "City or Municipality" ⇒ Select the "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

The civil registration records in Mexico are an excellent source for genealogical research after 1867. Important genealogical data can be found in these records, which may also include data of other family members to fill in another generation group.

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

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?
If you are unable to find your ancestor try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Nayarit is to the northwest, Zacatecas to the northeast with Aguascalientes, Guanajuato to the east, Michoacán to the southeast, and Colima to the south.

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.


 * Collection Citation:

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