A guide to archives and sources for continuing genealogical research in 18 Latin American countries when parish registers and civil registration fall short.
It brings together 233 institutions and 680 collections verified in November 2026: notarial records (protocols), probate (sucesiones), marriage dispensations, census and tax lists (padrones), military and migration records, newspapers, private archives, and indexes. For each one, it explains what information it provides, where it is, and how to access it.
Where to start
- Method and citations: the five steps and how to cite with FHGEN.
- Record types: what each one contains and how to use it.
- Wiki home: interactive map and figures for the whole wiki.
- Countries: details for each country, with jurisdictional background, archives, and collections.
- Access: what you can see online, in the reading room, or on request, and what you can view on FamilySearch from home.
Record types
Notarial records (protocols) · Court records and probate (sucesiones) · Marriage dispensations and prenuptial investigations · Census and tax lists (padrones) and censuses · Military records · Migration · Historical newspapers and official gazettes · Private archives and images · Indexes and derivative works
About the wiki
Created by Walter Kevin Sánchez as a companion to the session «Fuentes secundarias para la investigación genealógica en Latinoamérica» [Secondary Sources for Genealogical Research in Latin America] (RootsTech, 5 March 2027). Access details change: confirm with the archive before you travel. Español