How to do Mexican Research and Be Successful

These records are often described as the best family history records in the world due to the wealth of genealogical information typically included in these records. Learn how to find and analyze Mexico civil and church registration collections to build out your Mexican family history. Even a non-Spanish speaker can…

Spanish colonial and Mexican Catholic parish registers are rich in genealogical information. This session will discuss the laws, customs, and significance of these particular Catholic records that essentially "bookend" the life of your ancestors; as well as where to find and how to analyze them.

We pour a lot of time, money, and soul into our family history research. So, we want to make sure we are tracing the right people and families in the right place at any given time, and that we glean all possible information and clues from the records. This presentation reviews social and cultural customs, and tools for learning about jurisdictions and key terminology. It is suitable for those still new to Mexican genealogy as well as more experienced researchers.

Housed in an old prison, the Archivo General de la Nación (or AGN, General Archive of the Nation), is home for the historical memory of Mexico. Its origins date back to the late eighteenth century when a royal decree ordered the creation of an archive to preserve documentation from the Viceroyalty. Today, the documents at AGN are a genealogical treasure waiting to be discovered by a wider audience of researchers. In this presentation you will learn about how to navigate the archive, and some of the information you could find there.

Thousands of localized censuses, or padrones, were taken all over Mexico during the Colonial era. Mostly created during the 17th to 19th centuries, these censuses provide a snapshot in time of our ancestral families. Learn to find these censuses for your research locations and discover the content they may hold.

Historical records and social history paint a rich picture of the lives of our Mexican ancestors who were in the U.S. after the mid-19th century. A new border, new laws, a violent revolution, two world wars, and changing economic and political conditions significantly impacted your Mexican ancestors who came to or were born in the United States. Sharing a border, and sharing a long common history in certain regions of the U.S. has presented situations unique to those of Mexican descent compared to other immigrant and ethnic groups.

This lecture provides an overview of the key record collections available online to research your Mexican and Mexican-American ancestors.

Spanish colonial and Mexican Catholic marriage records are rich in genealogical information. This session will discuss the laws, customs, and significance of pre-marital investigations, dispensations, and marriage ceremony records, as well as where to find and how to analyze them.

Learn about the different types of census records and substitutes that can place your ancestors in New Spain or Mexico. This class will discuss why the records were created, where to find them, and what type of information they contain.