Identify locality, province and period. Distinguish civil records, parish registers and state archive files.
Prepare your research
Locality, province, full names as recorded, dates and record type. For PARES add archive and collection; for civil or church records identify the local service.
The method, step by step
- Use PARES to find holdings and files. Filter by archive and dates; inspect descriptions and hierarchy before interpreting a result.
- For civil or church records identify the relevant local service or diocesan archive. PARES is not a single database of all Spanish ancestors.
- Keep names as written, including their different components. Compare parents, places and dates rather than matching one name.
Choose the right repository
PARES describes archival collections; also seek Registro Civil or diocesan archives for a local event. Distinguish province, municipality and parish.
Choose a route from the record you have
- Separate a collection description, document image and civil record requested locally. A catalogue may describe a series without indexing everyone mentioned.
- With a village and occupation, identify possible creators: municipality, parish, notary or administration. Log repository hypotheses and inventories before expanding dates.
Find archives
PARES — Portal de Archivos Españoles →
PARES publishes descriptions and available images from participating Spanish archives. Use advanced search to specify collection, archive and dates. An entry can describe a file involving several people; inspect its context and related documents.
PARES does not centralise all civil or parish records. Not every entry has images.
Sources & references
- PARES — Portal de Archivos Españoles ↗ (Resource review date : )