Mexico Census

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Mexico

Census

Resources

Online Resources

• Mexico Census, 1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1930 Mexico National Census at Ancestry ($)

Background

A census (censos or padrones) is a count and description of the population. Censuses have been taken by colonial and national governments throughout Latin America. The Catholic Church also took occasional censuses of parishioners.

Under the Mexican government, national censuses were attempted in 1868 and 1878. They were not accepted by the people, who feared more taxation and military conscription. The 1895 census was more successful. After the 1900 census, additional censuses were taken every 10 years. Most of the census records are housed in the national archives, or in the case of the Spanish administration of colonial Latin America, in the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, Spain.

Census records are especially valuable because they list a large portion of the population. They can provide information about persons where church and civil records may be incomplete. However, use the information with caution, since it may contain inaccuracies. The informant (perhaps a member of the family or a neighbor) may have not known the facts or deliberately falsified the information.

Mexican census returns were often destroyed, generally only the compiled statistical information remains. Some original census records of towns, municipios, and states still exist at the archives, but few are presently available to researchers. Search the FamilySearch Catalog for local censuses.

Types of Census

Few censuses exist prior to 1750. At the end of the eighteenth century, inspired by the ideas of the European Age of Light, the Indian Council initiated a project throughout the empire, population control through a system of regular census reports. The first census taken this way was in 1768 in Spain, and in 1776 in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Similar was the 1786 census in Spain, which became that of 1790-1791 (called Revillagigedo Census) in New Spain. This census has an index of 238 pages of places, which is on file IGHL in the Archivo General de la Nación (AGN), in the FamilySearch Library, and elsewhere. A colonial census was taken in 1812 end and for several years thereafter. More than 2,000 individual surveys have been identified for Mexico.

The Real Ordenanza (Royal Decree) of 1786 instructed the intendants (territorial governors) of the provinces to take censuses every five years. Censuses were to be taken of various groups for different reasons. For example, censuses were taken concerning Indian tributaries, military personnel, men (non-Indians) who could serve in the military, business people, those in commerce, or the general populace. Some of these censuses were taken, but not every five years.

The first national census of Mexico was taken in 1895. It is currently in the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics. The birthplace of the censuses of 1900 and 1910 is not known at this time. The national censuses of 1921 and 1930 were in the Yellow House and were transferred to the Archivo General de la Nación a few years ago and have been microfilmed.

1930 Census

The 1930 federal census is the only federal census available for public inspection. Some localities, including the Federal District, are missing.

• Mexico Census, 1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1930 Mexico National Census at Ancestry ($)
• Blank 1930 Mexico National Census form with translation
  

Other Censuses

An example of one of the early censuses that was taken in Mexico was a census in the year 1689 of the Spaniards living in Mexico City. This census has been published in the following book:

• Rubio Mañe, Jorge Ignacio. Gente de España en la Ciudad de México, Año de 1689 (Spanish People in Mexico City in the Year 1689). México: s.n., 1966. (FS Library book 972.52/m1 F2r.)

The FamilySearch Library has 110 volumes of these censuses and the index on microfilm. A paper copy of the index is available at the FamilySearch Library. The index is divided into districts. The districts that are grouped together are not always from the same state. All localities are listed under the district. The index does not include the census year. However, the information in the index will lead you to the volume and page of the locality you want.

Padrones, 1752–1865 (Censuses 1752–1865). México, D.F.: Archivo General de la Nación, 1988. (On 41 FS Library films beginning with 1520343.)

State and Municipality Censuses

Some states have taken censuses and were kept in state archives. Many of them are listed in the aforementioned volume 13. But a good number of them are not yet cataloged or identified. At one time the Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed censuses and registers in the parishes but later stopped.

The municipalities also took censuses from time to time. The municipality of the City of Mexico, for example, is stored in Chile 8 Doncelas Corner in downtown Mexico City. The volumes and years are 3393-3394 1775-1869. The volumes 3406-3431 contains censuses of 1842, 1848, 1850, 1863, 1873, 1874, 1877, 1879, 1882, 1886, 1910, and 1920. An 1891 municipal census is in volumes 3398-3405. The school census of 1894 is in volumes 3395-3397.

Information Recorded in the Records

Where available, census records can provide a person’s age, birth year, religion, birthplace, and occupation. These records can also explain his or her relationship to family members, and provide other family information.

The Mexican censuses and registers contain far more information of a longer time period before the English world. Excellent details on family names, ages, relationships, marital status and other things are included for the late eighteenth century. The researcher should note, however, that using these records, the information contained therein may not be particular to these censuses. In many Spanish censuses of the colonial period it is possible that the information used in one will be used to meet other requirements. While the priest or local mayor had the responsibility of gathering information, it is expected that such enumerations have been used by different levels of civil or ecclesiastical administration to satisfy a demand for them and more.

Strategy

When searching census records, it is important to remember the following:

• Accept the ages with caution.
• Given names may not always be the same as the names recorded in vital records.
• Information may be incorrect.
• Names may be spelled as they sound.
• Place names may be misspelled or spelled phonetically.
• If the family is not at the suspected address, search the surrounding area.
• Parts of the census may be indecipherable.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

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