Argentina, Mendoza, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Argentina Mendoza

What is in the Collection?
These records are in Spanish. This collection of church records for the period of 1665 to 1975, includes baptisms, confirmations, marriages and deaths for the cities of Godoy Cruz, Junín, La Consulta, La Paz, Las Heras, Lavalle, Luján de Cuyo, Maipú, Malargüe, Malargüe y Villa Atuel, Mendoza, Rivadavia, San Martín, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Tunuyán, Tupungato and Villa Nueva in the province of Mendoza.

The parishes included in the collection are San Vicente Ferrer, Nuestra Señora del Rosario, San Carlos Borromeo, San José, San Miguel Arcángel, Nuestra Señora de Luján, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Inmaculada Concepción, Catedral Nuestra Señora de Loreto, San Nicolás de Tolentino, San Isidro Labrador, Nuestra Señora del Carmen, San Rafael Arcángel, Santa Rosa de Lima, Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Nuestra Señora del Socorro and Sagrada Familia.

These records are written in Spanish; see the section For Help Reading these Records for translation helps.

General Information About Church Records Church records are crucial for genealogical research, since civil authorities did not begin registering vital statistics until after 1886. After this date one should search in both church and civil records as there may be information in one that does not appear in the other. For instance the church records may only list the godparents whereas the civil records may list the grandparents. Church records are the most important records for genealogical research in Argentina. The vast majority of Argentines were Catholic and were registered in the records of the local parish or diocese which are called registros parroquiales (parish registers). These records include entries for baptisms, marriage information, marriages, deaths, and burials. They can help you trace and link families. Often two and sometimes three generations are indicated in the records. In addition, church records may include church censuses, account books, confirmations, and other church-related records.

Some church records have been lost or have deteriorated due to natural effects, such as humidity and insects, and more dramatic events such as fire, floods and earthquakes. Civil and political strife have also caused the destruction of parish books. Some records were destroyed or damaged because of poor storage. However, many records considered lost are simply misplaced or misidentified.

In 1886 the civil government began keeping vital records (civil registration). If you are looking for ancestors who came before this time, then the Catholic Church parish registers are the best records available to identify these individuals, since church records were around for hundreds of years prior to civil registration. For civil vital records of births, deaths, and marriages after 1886, see Argentina Civil Registration (Registro Civil).

For a list of localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Baptismal and confirmation records usually include the following information:


 * Date of the event
 * Place of event
 * Name of child
 * Legitimacy
 * Birth date of child
 * Gender of child
 * Parents' names and origin
 * Parish of residence
 * Godparents' names

Marriage records usually include the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Name of groom
 * Groom’s age, origin, civil status, and legitimacy
 * Parents’ names and residence
 * Name of bride
 * Bride’s age, origin, civil status, and legitimacy
 * Parents’ names and residence
 * Names and age of witnesses

Death records usually include the following information:


 * Parish place and date of event
 * Name of deceased
 * Age and civil status of deceased
 * Date of death
 * Cause of death

How Do I Search the Collection?
As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information in the marriage record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination. Be aware there may be inaccuracies such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page, you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "City or Town" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your relatives to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish
 * Argentina Language and Languages

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. Keep in mind:


 * The information in church records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another.

I Found Who I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation: