Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

[[Image:Baja California.jpg|thumb|right]]{{FamilySearch_Collection|CID=CID1506640 |title=Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur Catholic Church Records|location=Mexican|scheduled=}}<br>

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

This collection covers church records from parishes in Baja California and Baja California Sur or years 1750 to 1983. [[Image:Baja_California2.jpg|thumb|right]]

In 1527 the Roman Catholic Church was established in Mexico with the creation of the Tlaxcala and Mexico dioceses. Parish registers were kept by the priest at the parish level. Parishes were local congregations that may have included smaller villages within their boundaries. A large city may have contained several parishes. The parishes had jurisdiction over both vice parishes (vice parroquias) and chapelries (capillar foraneas). Multiple parishes (parroquias) were under the jurisdiction of a diocese. The highest level of government in the Catholic Church was the archdiocese (arquidiócesis), which was made up of several dioceses. In 1995 the Catholic Church in Mexico had 14 archdioceses; 58 dioceses; 5,345 parishes; and 1,611 chapelries (subparishes). This collection covers the Catholic Church population living in parishes in the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur. The majority of the population of these two states was Roman Catholic, and entries for them are found in parish registers. Only in the late 19th century did other religious groups begin to be established in the area.