Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

	This article describes a collection of historical records available at FamilySearch.org.
Access the records: Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984 . CID1506640 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}

Title in the Language of the Records

Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica en el Estado de Baja California y en el Estado de Baja California Sur, México.

Record Description

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This collection covers church records from parishes in Baja California and Baja California Sur for the years 1750 to 1984. The records are in Spanish. 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. Similarly, marriage information documents may have been included with marriages. 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. In smaller parishes, 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 a list of records by localities, document type and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

For additional details about the history of these records and help using them, see the wiki article Mexico Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Record Content

Most baptismal records contain:

• Date of baptism
• Place of the event and usually the parish saint name
• Name of the person being baptized
• Names of the parents
• Age of the person being baptized or the person’s birth date
• Gender
• Legitimacy
• Before 1820, social class of the parents
• Sometimes the person’s race

Most marriage records contain:

• Mexico Baja California Catholic Church Records Marriage.jpg

• Date of marriage
• Place of the event and usually the parish saint name
• Names of the betrothed
• Names of the parents
• Names of the witnesses
• Ages and marital statuses of the betrothed
• Places of origin and residence of the betrothed and sometimes that of the parents
• Legitimacy of the betrothed
• Sometimes the race of the betrothed

Most burial or death records contain:

• Mexico Baja California Catholic Church Records Death.jpg

• Date of death or burial
• Place of burial or death
• Name of the deceased person
• Sometimes the names of the parents or the spouse, if the deceased was married
• Age of the deceased person at time of death
• Place of residence or origin of the deceased person
• Sometimes the race of the deceased

How to Use the Record

Search the Collection

To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links:
⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page
⇒ Select the "City or Town "
⇒ Select the "Parish"
⇒ 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.

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

Known Issues with This Collection

	Problems with this collection? See a list of known issues, workarounds, tips, restrictions, future fixes, news and other helpful information.

For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to 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.

Related Websites

• Baja California Maps
• Baja California History

Related Wiki Articles

• Mexico
• Baja California
• Baja California Sur
• Mexico Church Records
• Mexico Church History

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation for This Collection

Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984

The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Cite This Collection.