Argentina, Catamarca, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
Church records are crucial for genealogical research, since civil authorities did not begin registering vital statistics until after 1886. After this date one should search in both church and civil records as there may be information in one that does not appear in the other. For instance the church records may only list the godparents whereas the civil records may list the grandparents.

Church records are the most important records for genealogical research in Argentina. The vast majority of Argentines were Catholic and were registered in the records of the local parish or diocese which are called registros parroquiales (parish registers). These records include entries for baptisms, marriage information, marriages, deaths, and burials. They can help you trace and link families. Often two and sometimes three generations are indicated in the records. In addition, church records may include church censuses, account books, confirmations, and other church-related records.

Some church records have been lost or have deteriorated due to natural effects, such as humidity and insects, and more dramatic events such as fire, floods and earthquakes. Civil and political strife have also caused the destruction of parish books. Some records were destroyed or damaged because of poor storage. However, many records considered lost are simply misplaced or misidentified.

In 1886 the civil government began keeping vital records (civil registration). If you are looking for ancestors who came before this time, then the Catholic Church parish registers are the best records available to identify these individuals, since church records were around for hundreds of years prior to civil registration. For civil vital records of births, deaths, and marriages after 1886, see Argentina Civil Registration (Registro Civil).

What Is in This Collection?
This collection of church records includes baptism, confirmation, marriage, and death records for the Catamarca Province for the years 1724 to 1971. Earlier registers are handwritten in narrative style, and later records were handwritten on printed forms.

As of 20 December 2016 this collection included records from the following cities or towns:

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish; see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

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

Birth Records
 * Date of event
 * Place of event
 * Name of child
 * Child's birth date
 * Spouse and marriage date
 * Parents' names and place of residence
 * Godparents' names and place residence

Confirmation Records
 * Date and place of confirmation
 * Name of individual
 * Parents' names
 * Gender
 * Godparents

Marriage Records
 * Names of the groom and bride
 * Date of event
 * Place of event
 * Declaring witnesses' name, civil status and residence
 * Groom’s name, civil status and age
 * Groom's parents' names and civil status
 * Bride's name, age and civil status
 * Bride's parents' names and their residence
 * Witnesses' names, civil status and residence

Death Records
 * Date of event
 * Place of event
 * Name of deceased
 * Age of deceased
 * Names of Parents
 * Civil status of parents

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year

Search the Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have.
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

View the Images
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
For help reading these Spanish records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish
 * Argentina Language and Languages

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.

What Do I Do Next?

 * When you have found your ancestors original record, it is a good idea to make a copy of it or cite where you found it for future reference.
 * It's always a good idea to keep your citation on a Research Log. This is an important tool to help keep track of what you have and have not found.  Family search wiki has a  Research Log that you can download and use.

To learn more about using the information available in these records, view these lessons for free:
 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * 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.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in Argentina Census records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or Argentina Military Records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * 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.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

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

 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and 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 and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated records.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches. Or try expanding the date range; this is especially useful in searching baptismal records, as it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth.
 * 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.
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring province.
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby countries or Argentina Emigration and Immigrationrecords.
 * If you get stuck and can’t read a document or you’re not sure where to go next in your research, you can ask for help through these resources:
 * Hispanic Genealogy Research community on Facebook is a page sponsored by FamilySearch and here you may also post a question or upload an image of a document for further assistance. The Hispanic Genealogy Research page is designed especially for those who have Hispanic ancestry but may not be fluent in Spanish. Be sure to click like on the page on your first visit so you can receive information and updates from the page in your news feed.
 * Investigación Genealógica en Argentina is another FamilySearch research community page on Facebook where you can post questions and upload images of documents. The majority of the posts on this page are in Spanish but you are welcome to post on the page in English. Be sure to click like on the page on your first visit so you can receive information and updates from the page in your news feed.

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. Below are the proper citations to use for this whole collection as well as for individual records and images within it: Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: