Mexico Civil Registration: Difference between revisions

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*[https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lesson/1138 '''Mexico Research With the Wiki Part 5 of 11: Mexico Wiki State Pages''']

*[https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lesson/1139 '''Mexico Research With the Wiki Part 6 of 11: Reading Mexican Records in Spanish''']

*[https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lesson/1142 '''Mexico Research With the Wiki Part 8 (a.k.a. 7b) of 11: A Mexico Civil Registration Case Study''']

Civil registration records (also known as vital records) are important for genealogical research in Mexico. Civil authorities began registering births, marriages, and deaths in 1859 and most individuals who lived in Mexico after 1867 are recorded. Because the records cover such a large percentage of the population, they are extremely important sources for genealogical research in Mexico.  

For birth, death, and marriage records before 1859, see [[Mexico Church Records|'''Mexico Church Records''']]

The earliest vital records in Mexico were made by the Catholic Church. In the late 1850s the Mexican government recognized the need for accurate vital records. On 28 July 1859, President Benito Juárez, speaking in Veracruz, established the Civil Registration Office (Registro Civil). The new law determined both the standards and information to be recorded. Justices of civil registration were established throughout the republic to implement the process of creating, witnessing, and safeguarding the civil register. Initially, the Mexican populace, accustomed to registering its vital events with the local parish church, opposed the register. It was not until the republic was restored in 1867 that civil registration was vigorously enforced.  

The British government also kept civil registration records for British citizens living in Mexico from 1827 to 1926:  

The information recorded in civil registration records varied over time. Later records generally give more complete information than the earlier ones.  

Birth, marriage, and death records may either be handwritten or typed, and are often indexed by given name or surname.  

Births were usually registered by the infant’s father or by a neighbor of the family within a few days of the event. If you are having trouble locating the birth record, keep in mind that the birth might have been reported months or years later. It is not common but it does happen. A birth record usually includes:  

Corrections or additions to a birth record may have been added as a note in the margin.These notes might include information about the marriage or death of the child.

Early civil marriage entries simply contained the name of the bride and groom and the marriage date. Gradually more information was entered such as:  

With the separation of church and state in Mexico, formalized by the 1917 constitution, civil authorities determined that for couples to be legally married they had to be married by the state. Because of the close affinity of the Catholic Church and the state authorities, this rule was not always followed, and church weddings were accepted by the state. Normally, however, couples were married by civil authorities prior to a church wedding. On rare occasions they were married civilly after a church wedding.  

Early civil death records are especially helpful because they might list people for whom there are no birth or marriage records. Deaths were recorded in the town or city where the person died, within a few days of the death. Death records may provide the following information:  

Be aware that information found in a death record about the deceased person’s parents, birth date, birthplace, and other information may be inaccurate as the person who gave the information may not have had complete information.  

Divorce was not legalized in Mexico until after the 1917 constitution. Divorces are not recorded with the civil registration, but rather with the municipio courts. The FamilySearch Library has very few divorce records in its collection. You may obtain information from divorce records by contacting the court of the town or municipio where the divorce took place.  

The following extract forms were created by Dr. George Ryskamp, JD, AG. These particular forms are designed to be used for Spanish research; however, they can help in other research areas, such as Italy, France, Portugal, etc. Click on the type of record form you would like to use and print it for your own files.  

These forms are designed to help you quickly analyze and organize your documents. They can become a personal index for your family records.

There is a listing of [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&region=MEXICO all records collections available] on FamilySearch.org. The listing below might be out of date, so if you do not find your state, be sure to check this link.

==== Records in the FamilySearch Collection ====

The library’s collection continues to grow as new records are microfilmed and added to the collection from numerous sources. Do not give up if records are not yet available. The FamilySearch Catalog is updated periodically, so check it occasionally for the records you need.

Civil registration records are kept by all the states on a municipio level. The exceptions are the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca, where the records are recorded by the municipio but are archived on a district level, and the Distrito Federal (Federal District), where they are kept in delegations. Because of this, it is difficult to obtain records from these two states and the Federal District. In these three instances, as well as in the rest of the nation, the populace still registered in their local civil registration offices, from which the records were sent to the municipio office, district office, or delegation office. If you know the town where your family lived, you should be able to find the local civil registration office.  

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You can also write to local offices, using this address as a guide, replacing the information in parentheses:<br>

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_postal_codes_in_Mexico '''Find the Mexico postal code here.''']  

'''Write your request in Spanish whenever possible. For writing your letter in Spanish, use the translated questions and phrases in this [https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/a/aa/LWGSpanish.pdf Spanish Letter-writing Guide.]'''<br>

Send the following:<br>

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To effectively use civil records, follow these steps: