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 usage in Mexican research may vary greatly from its usage in other countries, because censuses were taken for specific purposes and included various types of jurisdictions. More accessible genealogical sources, such as church records and civil registration are available in Mexico.

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.

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.

The original 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 Family History Library Catalog for local 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: