Lima, Peru Genealogy

Guide to Region of Lima family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

'''Most of your genealogical research for Lima will be in two main record types: civil registration and church records. This article will teach you methods for locating and searching these two record groups.'''

History
In 1532 a group of Spanish conquistadors, defeated the Inca ruler Atahualpa and took over his empire. A combined expedition of Argentine and Chilean patriots under General José de San Martín landed south of Lima in 1820 but did not attack the city. Fearing a popular uprising in 1820 and lacking any means to impose order, the city council invited San Martín to enter Lima and signed a Declaration of Independence at his request.[22] However, the war was not over; in the next two years the city changed hands several times. After independence, Lima became the capital of the Republic of Peru but economic stagnation and political turmoil brought urban development to a halt. This hiatus ended in the 1850s, when increased public and private revenues from guano exports led to a rapid development of the city. 

Geography
Lima as seen from the International Space Station

Lima at night from space

The urban area covers about 800 km2 (310 sq mi). It is located on mostly flat terrain in the Peruvian coastal plain, within the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers. The city slopes gently from the shores of the Pacific Ocean into valleys and mountain slopes located as high as 1,550 meters (5,090 ft) above sea level. Within the city are isolated hills that are not connected to the surrounding hill chains, such as El Agustino, San Cosme, El Pino, La Milla, Muleria and Pro hills. The San Cristobal hill in the Rímac District, which lies directly north of the downtown area, is the local extreme of an Andean hill outgrowth.

Metro Lima covers 2,672.28 km2 (1,031.77 sq mi), of which 825.88 km2 (318.87 sq mi) (31%) comprise the actual city and 1,846.40 km2 (712.90 sq mi) (69%) the city outskirts.[citation needed] The urban area extends around 60 km (37 mi) from north to south and around 30 km (19 mi) from west to east. The city center is located 15 km (9.3 mi) inland at the shore of the Rímac River, a vital resource for the city, since it carries what will become drinking water for its inhabitants and fuels the hydroelectric dams that provide electricity to the area. While no official administrative definition for the city exists, it is usually considered to be composed of the central 30 of 43 districts of Lima Province, corresponding to an urban area centered around the historic Cercado de Lima district.[citation needed] The city is the core of the Lima Metro Area, one of the ten largest metro areas in the Americas. Lima is the world's third largest desert city, after Karachi, Pakistan and Cairo, Egypt.

Civil Registration

 * Civil registration records are government records covering birth, marriage, and death. They are an excellent source of names, dates, places, and relationships.
 * Civil authorities began registering births in 1886, marriages in 1886, and deaths in 1857 in most of the municipalities of Peru. In the Lima municipal archives, there are death registers for 1857–1867, and birth, marriage, and death registers of Peruvians born abroad for 1886–1911. By 1895, the archives included almost all individuals who lived in Peru.
 * Records of naturalization, adoption, and legitimization of children, are included in the early birth records. From 1936 to the present, these records are included as a part of the personal civil registers which also include records of declaration of mental competence, declarations of deaths not otherwise registered, marriage annulments, and divorces.
 * Civil registration records are one of the most important sources for genealogical research in Peru because civil registration covers the entire population and generally provides more information than church records. Due to political situations, civil registration for some municipalities may have begun after 1886. Civil registration records may also be the only source of information about non-Catholic people.
 * You will need to know the town where your family lived and district and province. Place names in the FamilySearch Catalog are listed under the modern names and the names of departments and provinces as they existed in 1922. All Peruvian places are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog by the name they are listed under in: Diccionario geográfico del Perú(Geographical Dictionary of Peru) will help you.

1. Online Digital Records for Civil Registration
For many localities, digital copies of civil registration can be searched online:
 * 1874 - 1996 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1874 - 1996 - -  at FamilySearch Historical Records — free, browseable images only, not complete for all localities.
 * "Nascimientos" are births. "Matrimonios" are marriages.  "Defunciones" are deaths.

2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to find them in the microfilm collection of the Family History Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a Family History Center near you. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Peru, Lima.
 * b. Click on "Places within Peru, Lima" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Civil Registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.
 * f. Some combination of the icons shown below will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record.
 * FHL icons.png The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing for Civil Registration Certificates
Civil registration records are kept at the local civil registration office (Oficina del Registro Civil) in each municipality. You must determine the town where your ancestor lived before you can find the records. A civil registration district may include several towns or a small section of a large city. In addition to the town, you need to know an approximate year in which the birth, marriage, divorce, or death occurred.'This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.' Write a brief request in Spanish to the proper office using this address as a guide replacing the information in parentheses:


 * Oficino del Registro Civil
 * (street name, number)
 * (city), Lima
 * (postal code)
 * Peru


 * Find the Peru postal code here.

Send the following when requesting information:


 * Money for the search fee, usually $10.00, and an international reply coupon (IRC)
 * Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
 * Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
 * Approximate date and place of the event
 * Your relationship to the ancestor
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record

'''Write your request in Spanish whenever possible. Use the translated questions and phrases in this Spanish Letter-writing Guide to assist you in writing your letter in Spanish. '''

Writing to the Supreme Court of Justice
Peru also has duplicates of civil registration records in the Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Superior de Justicia) in Lima. If your request to the municipality is unsuccessful, write for duplicate records that may have been sent to the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic (Corte Superior de Justicia de la República).

Archivo de la Corte Suprema de la República

Palacio de Justicia Jirón Manuel Cuadros s/n Cercado de Lima Lima 1, PERÚ Telephone: 51-14-28-3690

Church Records
Although civil registration records are an important source for genealogical research in Peru, many births, marriages, and deaths were never recorded by civil authorities; therefore, you must use church records to supplement this genealogical source.

The vast majority of Peruvians were Catholic and were registered in entries for baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials in the local church records. Often two and sometimes three generations are indicated in the registers, with personal information on the family. Church records are the main source prior to 1886, when civil registration began for births and marriages. After this date one should search in both church and civil records, since there may be information in one record that does not appear in the other. For instance, the church records may only list the godparents, while the civil records may list the grandparents.

1. Online Digital Records for Church Records
For some localities, digital copies of Catholic church records can be searched online: Some baptisms, marriages, and burials have been indexed for Peru: Bautismos are infant baptisms, which are used for birth information. Información matrimonial are documents collected in preparation for a marriage. Matrimônios' are marriages. Defunciones are deaths. Entierros are burials'". Índice''' is the index.
 * 1560-1952 - at FamilySearch — index and image
 * 1603-1992 - — free, index, not complete for all localities.
 * 1603-1992 - Lima, Peru, Catholic Church Records, 1603-1992 at FamilySearch Historical Records — free, browseable images only, not complete for all localities. Records will eventually be indexed online.
 * 1556-1930 - - at FamilySearch Historical Records — free, index, not complete for all localities.
 * 1600-1930 - -  at FamilySearch Historical Records — free, index, not complete for all localities.
 * 1750-1930 - -  at FamilySearch Historical Records — free, index, not complete for all localities.

2. Microfilm Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to try to find them in the microfilm collection of the Family History Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a Family History Center near you. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Peru, Lima.
 * b. Click on "Places within Peru, Lima" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.
 * f. Some combination of the icons shown below will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record.
 * FHL icons.png Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing to the Archive of the Archbishopric of Lima (Archivo Arzobispal de Lima) for Church Records
The Catholic Church has gathered the early church records from the dioceses into a centralized archive in Peru. Baptism, marriage, and death records may be searched by contacting or visiting this centralized archive. Write your request in Spanish whenever possible. 'This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.'

Write a brief request in Spanish to the Archivo Arzobispal de Lima using this address:

Archivo Arzobispal de Lima Calle Luis Espejo 1064 Urb. Santa Catalina Lima 21, PERÚ

Send the following when requesting information:


 * Money for the search fee, usually $10.00, and an international reply coupon (IRC)
 * Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
 * Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
 * Approximate date and place of the event
 * Your relationship to the ancestor
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record

'''Write your request in Spanish whenever possible. Use the translated questions and phrases in this Spanish Letter-writing Guide to assist you in writing your letter in Spanish. '''

Writing to the Supreme Court of Justice
Peru also has duplicates of civil registration records in the Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Superior de Justicia) in Lima. If your request to the municipality is unsuccessful, write for duplicate records that may have been sent to the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic (Corte Superior de Justicia de la República).

Archivo de la Corte Suprema de la República

Palacio de Justicia Jirón Manuel Cuadros s/n Cercado de Lima Lima 1, PERÚ Telephone: 51-14-28-3690

4. Writing to a Catholic Priest for Church Records
Baptism, marriage, and death records may be searched by contacting or visiting local parish or diocese archives in Peru. More recent Catholic parish records are kept at the local parish. The diocese keeps the records of parishes that no longer exist. Write your request in Spanish whenever possible. 'This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.'

Write a brief request in Spanish to the proper church using this address as a guide replacing the information in parentheses:


 * Reverendo Padre
 * Parroquia de (name of parish) 
 * (postal code), (city), Lima
 * Peru


 * Find the Peru postal code here.

Send the following when requesting information:


 * Money for the search fee, usually $10.00, and an international reply coupon (IRC)
 * Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
 * Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
 * Approximate date and place of the event
 * Your relationship to the ancestor
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record

'''Write your request in Spanish whenever possible. Use the translated questions and phrases in this Spanish Letter-writing Guide to assist you in writing your letter in Spanish. '''

Writing to the Supreme Court of Justice
Peru also has duplicates of civil registration records in the Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Superior de Justicia) in Lima. If your request to the municipality is unsuccessful, write for duplicate records that may have been sent to the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic (Corte Superior de Justicia de la República).

Archivo de la Corte Suprema de la República

Palacio de Justicia Jirón Manuel Cuadros s/n Cercado de Lima Lima 1, PERÚ Telephone: 51-14-28-3690

Reading the Records

 * You do not have to be fluent in Spanish to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use the Spanish Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. Handwriting skills are taught in the BYU Spanish Script Tutorial.


 * Online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:


 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1 — Spanish alphabet
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2 — Names, dates, and key genealogical words
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3 — Read Spanish records: birth, baptism, marriage, and death records

Search Strategy

 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.

Tips for finding your ancestor in the records

 * Births were usually reported within a few days of the birth by the father of the child, a neighbor, or the midwife. A search for a birth record should begin with the known date of birth and then searching forward in time, day by day, until the record is found. It might be found within a few days of the actual birth date, but in some instances, it might be weeks or months later. Birth, marriage, and death records are often indexed by given name or surname.


 * The Catholic Church continued keeping records after the creation of the civil registration in 1859. Therefore two types of records are available for the marriages. Be sure to search both records. 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.


 * Some municipios are small and therefore only have one civil registration office, but there are other larger municipios that have several sub civil registration offices that report to the main municipio office.


 * Death records can be particularly helpful for people who may not have had a civil birth or marriage record but died during the period when civil registration had begun.