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

Mexico

Baja California

Mexico

Baja California Sur

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Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984 CID1506640 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}
This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Baja California and Baja California Sur, Mexico
Flag of the United Mexican States
Location of Baja California and Baja California Sur, Mexico
Record Description
Record Type:	Church
Collection years:	1750-1984
Languages:	Spanish
Title in the Language:	Registros Parroquiales de la Iglesia Católica en el Estado de Baja California y en el Estado de Baja California Sur, México.
FamilySearch Resources
Mexico Record Finder
Mexico Research Tips and Strategies
Mexico Church Records
Mexico Church History
Mexico Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
Related Websites
Baja California Maps
Baja California History
Archive
Catholic Church Parishes, Baja California and Baja California Sur

What is in This Collection?

This collection covers church records from parishes in Baja California and Baja California Sur for the years 1750 to 1984. 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, except for 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.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Index and Image Visibility

Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images. For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.

Reading These Records

These records are written in Spanish. For help reading them see:

• Spanish Genealogical Word List
• BYU Spanish Script Tutorial

FamilySearch Learning Center videos:

• Reading Spanish Handwriting

If you speak Spanish, the following free online lesson may be helpful to learn how to use the information in these records:

• Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

To Browse This Collection

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information is usually found in these records:

Baptism

• Name of child
• Date of baptism
• Parent's names
• Legitimacy
• Date of birth
• Place of baptism

Marriage

• Name of bride and groom
• Their ages
• Residence and birthplace
• Date of marriage
• Parent's names
• Place of marriage

Burial

• Name of deceased
• Date of death or burial
• Age
• Residence
• Name of spouse or parents

Collection Content

For additional details about these records and help using them see Mexico Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records.

Sample Images

• 

  1891 Baptism Record

• 

  1875 Marriages

• 

  1854 Deaths

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

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

Search the Index

Search by name on the Collection Details Page.

1. Fill in the search boxes in the Search Collection section with the information you know
2. Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images

View images in this collection by visiting the Collection Browse Page:

1. Select City or Town
2. Select Parish
3. Select Record Type and Years to view the images

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.

What Do I Do Next?

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 Mexico National Census, 1930. 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, Baja California and Baja California Sur, 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

Research Helps

The following articles will help you research your family in Mexico.

• Mexico Record Finder
• Mexico Research Tips and Strategies

Known Issues

Click here for a list of known issues with this collection.

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

Record Citation: When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information.

Image Citation: When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.

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