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

Mexico Baja California

	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.

These records are written in Spanish.

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984.

Coverage Table

As of 5 June 2015 this collection contained the following records.

Event	State	City	Parish	Start Year	End Year	Records
Baptism	Baja California	La Paz	Nuestra Señora de la Paz	1762	1899	14,565
Baptism	Baja California	San Antonio	San Antonio de Padua	1809	1894	8,698
Baptism	Baja California	Todos Santos	Nuestra Señora del Pilar	1835	1836	46
Marriage	Baja California	La Paz	Nuestra Señora de la Paz	1882	1924	6
Marriage	Baja California	San Antonio	San Antonio de Padua	1809	1825	2

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 browse the collection by image:
⇒ 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
• FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
  • Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
  • Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
  • Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3

Other Searches

Don't overlook FS Catalog Place Mexico, Baja California items or FS Catalog Keyword Mexico, Baja California items in the FamilySearch Library Catalog. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see Mexico Archives and Libraries.

Don't overlook FS Catalog Place Mexico, Baja California Sur items or FS Catalog Keyword Mexico, Baja California Sur items in the FamilySearch Library Catalog. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see Mexico Archives and Libraries.

Surrounding Localities

Unable to find your ancestor? Try looking through records in the surrounding localities. Baja California shares a small part of its northeastern border with Sonora and its northern border with California. Baja California Sur is surrounded by water excepting the northern border it shares with Baja California.

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 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

Citations for This Collection

Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

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

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

When looking at a record, the citation is found below the record. You can search records in this collection by visiting the search page for Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984.

Image Citation:
This template has been deprecated and is no longer used.

When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen. You can browse through images in this collection by visiting the browse page for Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984.

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