Honduras: secondary sources for genealogical research

Last verified: 4 November 2026. Access details change; confirm with the archive before you travel. What each access type means · Español

On this page: Background · National archives · Collections by type · Verified · Contradictions · Notes · Bibliography

Background and geography

1527-1559, bishopric: the bishopric of Honduras was created in 1527 without a fixed seat. The first bishop was appointed in 1539, and the seat moved to Comayagua in 1559 (FHL/BYU outline). Throughout the colonial period and until 1916, the episcopal archive was in Comayagua.
1542-1549, Audiencia: the Audiencia de los Confines was created by royal decrees (cédulas) of 20 November 1542 and 13 September 1543. It sat in Gracias a Dios from 16 May 1544 and moved to Santiago de Guatemala by decrees of 1548 and 1549 (Wikipedia, "Real Audiencia of Guatemala"). Honduras was under the Kingdom or Captaincy General of Guatemala. For this reason, much of its colonial documentation is in the AGCA (Guatemala) and the AGI (Seville).
Two colonial jurisdictions:
the Gobernación de Honduras [Governorate of Honduras] (Comayagua);
the Alcaldía Mayor de Tegucigalpa [district magistracy of Tegucigalpa], which grew out of the Real de Minas [mining settlement] founded on 29 September 1578, with its first alcalde mayor in 1579.
1786-1817, intendancy: the Intendancy of Comayagua was created in 1786. Tegucigalpa lost its own government in 1788, was joined to Comayagua in 1791, and regained it in 1817 (Wikipedia, "Tegucigalpa"; see “Contradictions between sources”).
Independence and Federation:
15 September 1821: independence;
1822: annexation to Mexico;
1823: United Provinces / Central American Federation;
1824: the first Congress named Tegucigalpa and Comayagua as alternating capitals;
1838: Honduras fully separates (see “Contradictions between sources” on the exact date).
1880, Liberal Reform (Marco Aurelio Soto): that year the Archivo Nacional and the Biblioteca Nacional were created (the latter on 27 August 1880). The Archive’s first director, the priest Antonio R. Vallejo, moved documents from Comayagua. On 30 October 1880 Tegucigalpa became the permanent capital (Decree no. 11 of the Constituent Assembly, "for now"). Comayagua and Comayagüela were joined as the Distrito Central in 1937.
What the Archivo Nacional inherited: it received the bulk of the colonial holdings of the Gobernación or Intendencia de Comayagua and of the Alcaldía Mayor de Tegucigalpa, as well as documents from Nacaome (Sevilla 2025).
Civil registration: the Civil Code was enacted in 1880 and took effect on 1 January 1881 (Cardona Amaya 2025). The FHL table also gives 1881. Before that date, parish baptism and marriage records are the main source. In Tegucigalpa there are civil copies of baptisms from 1841-1880, made by order of the local government. From the 1906 Civil Code onward, municipalities sent duplicate copy books (libros copiadores) of the civil registry to the Archivo Nacional (Sevilla 2025; FS catalog 37632). For this reason the ANH holds duplicates from 1906.
The Church in the 20th century: the episcopal seat moved to Tegucigalpa, and the archdiocese was created on 2 February 1916. The diocese of Comayagua was restored on 15 March 1963 (FHL/BYU outline). According to Feldman (1988), the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa had no archive as such and sent documents from before 1920 to the Archivo Episcopal de Honduras, in Comayagua.
Caribbean territories: the Wyke-Cruz Treaty (Great Britain-Honduras), signed on 28 November 1859 and in force from 18 April 1860, returned the Bay Islands and recognized rights over the Mosquitia. Sources from the British period of the Bay Islands (a colony from 1850-1852) should also be sought in British archives.
Current divisions: 18 departments and about 281 municipalities (FHL/BYU outline, no reference date). There are regional and local archives: researchers should find out what exists in the locality.

National archives and institutions

Only national archives and institutions and key foreign repositories are listed. There are also regional, municipal, diocesan, and religious-order archives: find out what exists in your ancestor’s locality.

Archivo Nacional de Honduras "Antonio Ramón Vallejo" (ANH) [National Archives]¹

Type: National historical archive
City: Tegucigalpa
Address: Barrio El Centro, Av. Cristóbal Colón, calle Salvador Mendieta (according to the FS Wiki). In 2024 a move to an SAR building was being arranged; it has no building of its own.
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: (504) 222-8338, a 7-digit number from before 8-digit dialing; confirm
Email: archivonacionaldehonduras@yahoo.es (FS Wiki)
Website: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Access conditions: Documents for scientific, research, or academic use. It has a colonial reading room, a newspaper reading room, and a Títulos de Tierras [land titles] unit (transcription or digitization at L.60 per document). Historical rules from 1927: written order from the ministry.
Access type: In person, free; Fee-based

Biblioteca Nacional "Juan Ramón Molina" [National Library]²

Type: National library
City: Tegucigalpa
Address: Av. Miguel de Cervantes, downtown (building of the former Tipografía Nacional)
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: (504) 2222-8577 (FS Wiki)
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: cervantesvirtual.com/portales/honduras_biblioteca_nacional/
Access conditions: In-library use in 8 reading rooms, open access (2022). The building has structural damage (Dec. 2024).
Access type: In person, free

Hemeroteca Nacional "Ramón Rosa" [National Newspaper Library]³

Type: National newspaper library
City: Tegucigalpa
Address: Corner across from the former Casa Presidencial. A move to col. Palmira, Gabriela Mejía building, Av. República de Brasil, was announced (2024-2025); it is not known whether it was completed.
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Access conditions: Show ID and fill out a form. Photographing or scanning is allowed. It does follow-up searches by email.
Access type: In person, free

Secretaría de las Culturas, las Artes y los Patrimonios de los Pueblos de Honduras (SECAPPH), Dirección General del Libro y el Documento⁴

Type: Governing body of the ANH, the BN, and the Hemeroteca
City: Tegucigalpa
Address: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Access conditions: Manages the three institutions above (relationship inferred from the service catalog)

Empresa Nacional de Artes Gráficas (ENAG), Diario Oficial La Gaceta⁵

Type: State-owned publisher
City: Tegucigalpa
Address: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Access conditions: L 2,000 subscription to consult the laws. Agreement with Congress (March 2026) to offer published laws free of charge.
Access type: Fee-based; Free online

Instituto Hondureño de Antropología e Historia (IHAH): Archivo Etnohistórico, CDIHH, and Biblioteca "Dr. Jesús Núñez Chinchilla"⁶

Type: National institute
City: Tegucigalpa
Address: Former Casa Presidencial (historic center)
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Library: +504 9561-0625
Email: libraryihah1@gmail.com
Website: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Access conditions: Outreach through the CDIHH. Arrangement and digitization in progress (2025).
Access type: In person, free; Free online

Academia Hondureña de Geografía e Historia (AHGH)⁷

Type: Learned society
City: Tegucigalpa
Address: To be confirmed (its headquarters, shared with the Academia de la Lengua, was destroyed by Hurricane Mitch in 1998)
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Access conditions: Publishes the Revista de la AHGH. Archive and library destroyed in 1998.

Archivo Episcopal de Honduras (AEH), Comayagua, historical archive of the former bishopric of Honduras (1559-1916)⁸

Type: Church archive (see the note)
City: Comayagua
Address: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Access conditions: In 1987: letter of introduction (through the IHAH) to the archbishop of Tegucigalpa or the bishop of Comayagua. No file-level catalog.
Access type: In person, with authorization

Arquidiócesis de Tegucigalpa [Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa] (archive)⁹

Type: Archdiocesan archive
City: Tegucigalpa
Address: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Access conditions: In 1987 it had no formal archive. FamilySearch cites it as the original repository of the parish collection.
Access type: In person, with authorization

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH): Fondo Documental Histórico (FDH), "Manuel J. Fajardo" collection, and Tzibalnaah repository¹⁰

Type: National university
City: Tegucigalpa
Address: Ciudad Universitaria, Bulevar Suyapa
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: fdh.unah.edu.hn ; tzibalnaah.unah.edu.hn
Access conditions: PDF indexes, free to download
Access type: Free online; In person, free

Archivo General de Centro América (AGCA)¹¹

Type: Foreign archive (Guatemala)
City: Guatemala City
Address: 4.ª Av. between 7.ª and 8.ª calles, zona 1
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Access conditions: Holdings of the Kingdom of Guatemala, 1544-1821. Microfilmed by FamilySearch and by Ross Publishing (CRL).
Access type: In person, free; Online with free account; On request

Archivo General de Indias (AGI) / PARES portal¹²

Type: Foreign archive (Spain)
City: Seville
Address: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: pares.mcu.es (not tested from here)
Access conditions: Free digital portal
Access type: Free online

FamilySearch (catalog and Honduras collections)¹³

Type: Digital repository
City: Salt Lake City / online
Address: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: familysearch.org
Access conditions: Free account. Some images only at Family History Centers.
Access type: Online with free account; Restricted online

Center for Research Libraries (CRL)¹⁴

Type: Foreign library (USA)
City: Chicago
Address: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Hours: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Phone: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Email: Contact the archive for information on access and holdings.
Website: catalog.crl.edu
Access conditions: AGCA microfilms (Honduras rolls 577B-878B), LAMP, and consular dispatches. Loans to member institutions.
Access type: On request

Collections by record type

Notarial records (protocols)

Collection and custodian	Dates	What it provides	Where and how to consult it
Fondo Colonial (Gobernación/Intendencia de Comayagua and Alcaldía Mayor de Tegucigalpa)¹⁵ ANH	16th century-1821	Residents, litigants, miners, testamentary proceedings	Índice de documentos coloniales (3 volumes; vol. I from 1980); Índice de la Alcaldía Mayor de Tegucigalpa, período colonial y republicano (2014; covers 1659-1858). No online catalog. In person, free — D
Protocolos, 1543-1722 (Escribanía de Cámara / AGCA) AGCA; microfilm at FS	1543-1722	Wills, dowry contracts, sales	FS catalog 8021 (FamilySearch, catalog 8021: 4 rolls visible online) Online with free account — B

Court records and probate (sucesiones)

Collection and custodian	Dates	What it provides	Where and how to consult it
Títulos de Tierras¹⁶ ANH, Unidad de Títulos de Tierras	Colonial and republican (no exact dates)	Landholders, neighboring owners, Indigenous communities	Transcription and digitization on request (L.60 per document) On request; Fee-based — F / G
Tierras y propiedades, 1570-1820 (Capitanía General de Guatemala)¹⁷ AGCA; microfilm at FS	1570-1820	Landholders, heirs	FS catalog 365440 (the catalog entry returned SERVER_ERROR) Online with free account — B
Bienes de difuntos, de Centro América (Capitanía General de Guatemala), 1638-1713¹⁸ AGCA; microfilm at FS	1638-1713	Heirs in Spain and the Indies, inventories	FS catalog 455 (roll 744961, items 8-13; DGS 8146617) Online with free account — B
Bienes de difuntos, de la Capitanía General de Guatemala, 1551-1821¹⁹ AGCA; microfilm at FS	1551-1821	Wills, inventories, heirs	FS catalog 651 (10 rolls, e.g., 746581, 744876, 746582, 745811) Online with free account — B
AGCA colonial holdings relating to Honduras (call numbers by drawer [gaveta], Ross Publishing microfilm)²⁰ AGCA; CRL	1544-1821	Varies	CRL, Archivo General de Centro América [1544-1821]. Drawers cited by the FHL (e.g., 4-31, 5-25, 8-33, 9-30, 12-29); these are old card-file codes, (to be confirmed with the archive) at the AGCA. On request; In person, free — F / D

Marriage dispensations and prenuptial investigations, and other church sources

Collection and custodian	Dates	What it provides	Where and how to consult it
Marriage files, dispensations, chaplaincies, confraternities, padrones, and episcopal correspondence²¹ Archivo Episcopal de Honduras (Comayagua)	Mainly the 18th and 19th centuries	Parentage, kinship, consanguinity, residence, caste	152 sorted boxes, with no file-level catalog (1987). Part may be in FS 1823595 (approximate date; confirm with the archive). In person, with authorization — E
Honduras, Catholic Church Records, 1633-1978²² FamilySearch (original: Arquidiócesis de Tegucigalpa)	1633-1978	Parentage, dispensations for kinship	FS collection 1823595 (1,826,072 records; 425,330 images) Online with free account — B
Registros civiles, 1841-1880 (civil copies of baptisms, Catedral San Miguel parish, Tegucigalpa)²³ Original: Registro Civil del Concejo Metropolitano del Distrito Central; microfilm at FS	1841-1880	Baptisms from before 1881 with a surname index	FS catalog 196007 (rolls 1291452 [item 5]-1291457; DGS 7497130-7497134 and 4000190) Online with free account — B
Centroamérica, registros de los censos coloniales, 1607-1902²⁴ FamilySearch (original: Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano de Guatemala / AGCA)	1607-1902	Names by household, ages, caste	FS collection 1651961 (31,443 images, browse only) Online with free account — B

Military records

Collection and custodian	Dates	What it provides	Where and how to consult it
Fondo Republicano, ministry copy books (libros copiadores)²⁵ ANH	1832-1850 (copy books); the fonds continues after that	Appointments, payments, soldiers, foreigners	To be confirmed In person, free — D

Migration

Collection and custodian	Dates	What it provides	Where and how to consult it
Audiencia de Guatemala; Contratación (passengers to the Indies)²⁶ AGI / PARES	16th-19th centuries	Records of merit, genealogies of conquistadors and officials, Spanish origin	PARES (search not tested); Catálogo de pasajeros a Indias (Bermúdez Plata, 1940-1946) Free online — A
Despatches from United States Consuls in Tegucigalpa, 1860-1906 (M352) and in Amapala, 1873-1886 (T589)²⁷ NARA; microfilm at CRL	1860-1906; 1873-1886	Possible information on foreigners; content not verified (inference)	CRL (OCLC 11210046; roll T589 MF-3319 r.1) On request — F

Historical newspapers and official gazettes

Collection and custodian	Dates	What it provides	Where and how to consult it
Fondo hemerográfico [newspaper holdings]²⁸ ANH	Late 19th century-20th century	Death notices, legal notices, advertisements	Newspaper reading room In person, free — D
Newspapers, gazettes, and magazines (includes Gaceta Judicial 1904-1979, La Gaceta, El Cronista, El Día, Ateneo de Honduras)²⁹ Hemeroteca Nacional Ramón Rosa	19th-20th centuries (start To be confirmed)	Death notices, court notices (probate, boundary surveys), appointments	No online catalog; "Hemeroteca Virtual Nacional" announced in 2025 In person, free — D
Diario Oficial La Gaceta³⁰ ENAG; historical issues at the Hemeroteca, the ANH, and the UNAH	25 May 1830-present	Inheritance notices, name changes, naturalizations (to be confirmed with the archive), titles	Índice de Gacetas, "Manuel J. Fajardo" collection (1869-1901), FDH-UNAH 2023 (PDF); http://www.lagaceta.hn (current issues, fee-based) Fee-based; Free online — G (current) / A (index) / D
Revista del Archivo y Biblioteca Nacionales de Honduras³¹ ANH / BN / Sociedad de Geografía e Historia; microfilm at CRL	10 November 1904-1955	Published documents (padrones, titles, appointments)	CRL, LAMP (OCLC 23986129), on microform On request — F
Fondo Documental Histórico "Manuel J. Fajardo": indexes (Gacetas 1869-1901; Retazos, an index of magazines and newspapers from the first half of the 20th century; broadsides; rare books; bibliographic repertory)³² UNAH, FDH	1869-20th century	Finding legal notices, death notices, appointments	fdh.unah.edu.hn (documents 15148, 15308-15310, 12558, 12561, 14979) Free online — A

Private archives and images

Collection and custodian	Dates	What it provides	Where and how to consult it
Archivo Etnohistórico: IHAH records and donated or deposited holdings³³ IHAH	1952-present (plus donated holdings)	Photographs, heritage files, possible private papers	cdihh.ihah.hn (blocked); digitization 2025 In person, free; Free online — D / A (partial)

Indexes and derivative works

Collection and custodian	Dates	What it provides	Where and how to consult it
Fondo Antiguo "Antonio R. Vallejo" and Colección Hondureña "Clementina Suárez"³⁴ Biblioteca Nacional	Up to 1960 (old holdings)	Ministry annual reports (memorias), lists, published genealogies	No known online catalog In person, free — D
Revista de la Academia Hondureña de Geografía e Historia³⁵ AHGH	Successor to the previous one (from 1955 or 1966)	History of families and towns	Issues in the SIIDCA / CSUCA catalogs (e.g., no. 81) In person, free — D
Iglesia y sociedad colonial en Honduras: documentos del siglo XVI (E. Aguiluz Milla, ed., 1994)³⁶ Obispado de Choluteca (publisher); documents from the AGI	16th century	Early settlers, clergy, encomenderos	Penn Libraries, catalog 9979556935603681 In person, free — D (libraries)

Other government and education records

Collection and custodian	Dates	What it provides	Where and how to consult it
Fondo Federal³⁷ ANH	c. 1824-1838 (dates To be confirmed)	Officials, militias, residents	To be confirmed In person, free — D
Civil registry copy books (municipal duplicates)³⁸ ANH; microfilm at FS	1906-present at the ANH; at FS, 1906-1930	Civil record details	FS catalog 37632 (rolls 1161785-1161787 and 1161806-1161808; DGS 7489626-7489628 and 7489644-7489646); included in collection 2135627 Online with free account — B
Honduras, Civil Registration, 1841-1968³⁹ FamilySearch (original: national civil registry archive, Tegucigalpa)	1841-1968	Civil record details	FS collection 2135627 (13,439,970 records; 337,976 images) Online with free account — B

Verified directly

Data read on official websites and in the FamilySearch Catalog while signed in, in November 2026. “Visible online” on FamilySearch means the images can be viewed from home with a free account.

Archivo Nacional de Honduras “Antonio Ramón Vallejo”: access. Former Casa Presidencial, Centro Histórico, Tegucigalpa (inside the Centro Documental de Investigaciones Históricas de Honduras, CDIHH, since 30 Apr 2007). Hours Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00. Email archivonacionalsecapph@gmail.com. Researcher card: 2 photographs, a form, and Lps. 25. Cameras without flash and computers are allowed; graphite pencil only. It reports to the Secretaría de Cultura, Artes y Deportes.⁴⁰
Archivo Nacional de Honduras: history. Colonial predecessor in Comayagua (Archivo General del Gobierno). Founded by resolution of 5 Mar 1880 and opened on 27 Aug 1880, the year the capital moved to Tegucigalpa; its first director was the priest Antonio Ramón Vallejo. Current name by Presidential Resolution of 10 Aug 2009. Four locations; last move in 2006. Holdings described in the format of the Censo-Guía de Archivos de España e Iberoamérica.⁴¹
IHAH Archivo Etnohistórico and Library. Same building (CDIHH). Mon-Fri 8:00-16:00. aetnohistorico.ihah.hn@gmail.com; Biblioteca Jesús Núñez Chinchilla: bibliotecaihah@gmail.com.⁴²
FamilySearch: Archivo Nacional de Honduras. 237 catalog entries with that author: 236 “Registros civiles” by municipality (the ANH is the custodian of the filmed historical civil registry) and “Anales del Archivo Nacional” (216838, 2 rolls). Honduran colonial holdings filmed at the AGCA: Protocolos 1543-1722 (FS 8021, 4 rolls visible online), Tierras y propiedades 1570-1820 (FS 365440, 3 visible), Bienes de difuntos de Centro América 1638-1713 (FS 455, visible).⁴³

Contradictions between sources

Item	One source says	Another source says	Suggestion
Start of civil registration	1880, enactment of the Civil Code (27 August 1880, ceremony) (Cardona Amaya 2025)	In force on 1 January 1881 (Cardona Amaya 2025); the FHL/BYU table gives 1881. The FS collection starts in 1841 because it includes copies of baptisms.	Use "1880 Civil Code, in force from 1 January 1881" and explain that the 1841-1880 records are copies of baptisms.
Parent agency of the ANH	"Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo (1976-2025)" (Sevilla 2025)	SECAPPH, Dirección General del Libro y el Documento (IAIP; El Heraldo 2024)	The ministry changed its name several times; use "SECAPPH" (status in 2024-2025) and verify the 2026 structure.
Parent agency of the Hemeroteca	Dirección Ejecutiva de Cultura y Artes, DECA (El Heraldo, older article)	Dirección General del Libro y el Documento (IAIP)	The most recent official source (IAIP) prevails.
Original name of the AHGH	"Sociedad Hondureña de Geografía e Historia", founded on 4 November 1926 (Ramos, La Prensa 2026)	"Sociedad de Geografía e Historia de Honduras" (CRL)	Use the AHGH name and cite the variant.
Lineage of the journal	The Society’s journal "was called" Revista del Archivo y la Biblioteca Nacionales (Ramos 2026)	The Revista of the ANH and BN (1904-1955) was succeeded by the Society’s journal (CRL)	Follow the CRL chronology (1904-1955, then the journal of the Society or Academy).
Tegucigalpa in the Intendancy	Incorporation in 1788	Local government dissolved in 1788, joined to Comayagua in 1791, autonomy restored in 1817 (Wikipedia)	Verify with Honduran historiography; for now, "1788-1791 / 1817".
Date of full independence	5 November 1838 (FHL/BYU)	Historians usually cite 26 October 1838 (to be confirmed)	Verify in an official Honduran source.
Location of the ANH	Barrio El Centro, Av. Cristóbal Colón / calle Salvador Mendieta (FS Wiki)	"It has no building of its own"; possible move to the SAR building (El Heraldo, March 2024)	Confirm by phone or in a browser before publishing.
Location of the Hemeroteca	Move to col. Palmira "from June" 2024 (El Heraldo, March 2024) or "in January" 2025 (Argueta, January 2025)	In December 2024 the holdings were still in the old building (El Heraldo)	Status in 2026 To be confirmed.
Archdiocesan archive	The original repository of the FS collection is the "Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa" (FS 1823595)	In 1987 the archdiocese had no archive as such, and records from before 1920 were at the AEH in Comayagua (Feldman 1988)	FS probably filmed parish and curia books from several locations. Check the coverage table for 1823595.
16th-century records	"The ANH is the only repository with 16th-century records" (FHL/BYU)	The AGCA and the AGI hold abundant 16th-century Honduran documentation	Unreliable FHL statement; do not use it.

To be verified

Topics for which we found no verifiable information online. If you have it, please write to us.

ANH: hours, current address, 8-digit phone number: Contact details current in 2026
ANH: date ranges of the Fondo Federal and the Fondo Republicano: Dates and finding aids
RNP: Founding law (number and date), custody of historical books since 1881, access to old books
Historical La Gaceta: Complete run 1830-; is there a historical digital version?
Archivo Episcopal de Comayagua: Current status, custodian (diocese of Comayagua or archdiocese?), hours, catalog
Archdiocesan archive of Tegucigalpa: Whether a formal historical archive exists today
FS catalog 520256, "Registros parroquiales, 1823-1852": Place and content
Court and notarial archive: Historical archive of the Supreme Court; where the protocols of deceased notaries are deposited
Military archive: Whether the Archivo General Militar exists and how to access it
Migration / alien affairs / naturalizations: Historical custodian (Relaciones Exteriores, Instituto Nacional de Migración)
Property registry (Instituto de la Propiedad): Historical books
1825 departmental division and creation dates of each department (including Gracias a Dios / Mosquitia): Dates
Mosquitia: border with Nicaragua: 1906 award and 1960 ICJ ruling (known, not verified here)
Bay Islands, British period: Sources at The National Archives (United Kingdom)
Republican name-by-name censuses: Are there 19th-century name-by-name padrones at the ANH?

Notes

IAIP (service catalog); FS Wiki; Sevilla 2025; El Heraldo 2024 ↩
IAIP; El Heraldo 2022 and 2024; Cervantes Virtual ↩
El Heraldo (c. 2019, 2024, 2025); IAIP ↩
IAIP; El Heraldo 2024 ↩
TSC 2019; El Heraldo 2026 ↩
IHAH TdR 2025; FS Wiki ↩
Ramos, La Prensa 2026 ↩
Feldman 1988 ↩
Feldman 1988; FS collection 1823595 ↩
FDH-UNAH 2022-2023 ↩
FS Wiki; CRL ↩
PARES (record 371569 opened); FHL/BYU ↩
FS catalog entries consulted ↩
CRL ↩
Sevilla 2025; FS Wiki ↩
IAIP; FS Wiki ↩
FHL/BYU ↩
FS 455 ↩
FS 651 ↩
CRL; FHL/BYU ↩
Feldman 1988 ↩
FS 1823595 ↩
FS 196007 ↩
FS 1651961 ↩
Sevilla 2025 ↩
FHL/BYU; PARES ↩
CRL ↩
IAIP; Sevilla 2025 ↩
El Heraldo ↩
FDH-UNAH; TSC; El Heraldo 2026 ↩
CRL ↩
FDH-UNAH ↩
IHAH TdR 2025 ↩
IAIP; El Heraldo 2022 ↩
La Prensa 2026; CRL; SIIDCA ↩
Penn Libraries ↩
FS Wiki ↩
FS 37632; Sevilla 2025 ↩
FS 2135627 ↩
https://cdihh.ihah.hn/archivo-nacional-de-honduras/ ↩
https://cdihh.ihah.hn/archivo-nacional-de-honduras/ ↩
https://cdihh.ihah.hn/archivo-nacional-de-honduras/ ↩
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/8021 ↩

Bibliography

Archivo General de Indias, "Real cédula a la Audiencia de México […] Eugenio de Moscoso," MEXICO,1088,L.2, PARES (https://pares.mcu.es/ParesBusquedas20/catalogo/show/371569 : accessed 4 November 2026). Used only to test access to PARES.
Archivo Nacional de Honduras; Biblioteca Nacional de Honduras; Sociedad de Geografía e Historia de Honduras, "Revista del Archivo y Biblioteca Nacional de Honduras," Center for Research Libraries Catalog (https://catalog.crl.edu/Record/cfd4e457-f96d-5258-b0dd-bbddd28da8e7/Description : accessed 4 November 2026).
Argueta, Mario R., "Hemeroteca Virtual Nacional," 22 January 2025, El Heraldo (https://www.elheraldo.hn/opinion/columnas/hemeroteca-virtual-nacional-KO23693559 : accessed 4 November 2026).
Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, "Biblioteca Nacional de Honduras," Cervantes Virtual (https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/portales/honduras_biblioteca_nacional/ : accessed 4 November 2026).
Cardona Amaya, J. M., "El proceso de codificación en Honduras (1825-1880)," Revista de Derecho 46, no. 1 (2025), CAMJOL (https://www.camjol.info/index.php/LRD/article/download/21573/26219/78186 : accessed 4 November 2026).
Center for Research Libraries, "Archivo General de Centro America, [1544-1821]," CRL (https://crl.edu/node/10124 : accessed 4 November 2026).
Center for Research Libraries, "Despatches from United States Consuls in Amapala, 1873-1886," CRL Catalog (https://catalog.crl.edu/Record/9fd06340-ebc2-5335-abe5-ebbabb1dc454 : accessed 4 November 2026).
Center for Research Libraries, "Despatches from United States Consuls in Tegucigalpa, 1860-1906," CRL Catalog (https://catalog.crl.edu/Record/4b8a79a5-db16-557b-8b0c-d616cc35b9da/Description : accessed 4 November 2026).
Dirección General del Libro y el Documento, "Catálogo de servicios," Portal Único de Transparencia, IAIP (https://portalunico.iaip.gob.hn/ver_archivo/MTU3NTc4Ng== : accessed 4 November 2026).
El Heraldo, "Colección Erandique, atrevida apuesta para reconstruir la memoria histórica," 7 November 2022, El Heraldo (https://www.elheraldo.hn/entretenimiento/coleccion-erandique-atrevida-apuesta-reconstruir-memoria-historica-lectura-libros-honduras-GK10832576 : accessed 4 November 2026).
El Heraldo, "Congreso Nacional y Enag firman convenio para liberar acceso a leyes digitales," 4 March 2026, El Heraldo (https://www.elheraldo.hn/honduras/congreso-nacional-enag-firman-convenio-digitalizar-legislacion-JI29569110 : accessed 4 November 2026).
El Heraldo, "En ruinas, así están la Biblioteca y la Hemeroteca Nacional de Honduras," 17 December 2024, El Heraldo (https://www.elheraldo.hn/fotogalerias/tegucigalpa/en-ruinas-colapso-edificio-biblioteca-hemeroteca-nacional-honduras-HA23237022 : accessed 4 November 2026).
El Heraldo, "Hemeroteca Nacional por fin será trasladada a mejor edificio en la capital," 2 March 2024, El Heraldo (https://www.elheraldo.hn/tegucigalpa/hemeroteca-nacional-por-fin-sera-trasladada-mejor-edificio-capital-KG17881748 : accessed 4 November 2026).
El Heraldo, "La Hemeroteca Nacional, un tesoro y testigo del pasado," s. f., El Heraldo (https://www.elheraldo.hn/pais/1307191-466/la-hemeroteca-nacional-un-tesoro-y-testigo-del-pasado : accessed 4 November 2026).
El Heraldo, "Recuperación de espacios y digitalización, metas de la Biblioteca Nacional Juan Ramón Molina," 27 August 2022, El Heraldo (https://www.elheraldo.hn/tegucigalpa/recuperacion-espacios-digitalizacion-biblioteca-nacional-juan-ramon-molina-YJ9759256 : accessed 4 November 2026).
Family History Library / BYU, "Honduras" [research outline, n.d.], BYU Library (https://files.lib.byu.edu/family-history-library/research-outlines/LatinAmerica/Honduras.pdf : accessed 4 November 2026).
FamilySearch Wiki, "Honduras Archives and Libraries," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Honduras_Archives_and_Libraries : accessed 4 November 2026).
FamilySearch, "Bienes de difuntos, de Centro América (Capitanía General de Guatemala) 1638-1713," catalog, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/455 : accessed 4 November 2026).
FamilySearch, "Bienes de difuntos, de la Capitanía General de Guatemala 1551-1821," catalog, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/651 : accessed 4 November 2026).
FamilySearch, "Central America, Colonial Records, 1607-1902," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1651961 : accessed 4 November 2026).
FamilySearch, "Honduras, Catholic Church Records, 1633-1978," database con images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/collection/1823595 : accessed 4 November 2026).
FamilySearch, "Honduras, Civil Registration, 1841-1968," database con images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/collection/2135627 : accessed 4 November 2026).
FamilySearch, "Protocolos, 1508-1898," catalog, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/348888 : accessed 4 November 2026). Not used as a Honduras collection.
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FamilySearch, "Registros civiles, 1906-1930," catalog, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/37632 : accessed 4 November 2026).
Feldman, Lawrence H., "Notas sobre los archivos episcopales de León (Nicaragua) y Comayagua (Honduras)," Mesoamérica 15 (June 1988), Dialnet (https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/4007905.pdf : accessed 4 November 2026).
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Sevilla, Josué, "Retrospectiva de las prácticas archivísticas en Honduras: el Archivo Nacional, gestión documental en el siglo XXI, legislación archivística y profesionalización," Revista Comizahual 69 (December 2025), CAMJOL (https://camjol.info/index.php/RC/article/download/21895/26757/79062 : accessed 4 November 2026).
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Tunota, "¿Amor o plata? El misterio detrás del traslado de la capital," 6 October 2026, Tunota (https://www.tunota.com/honduras-hoy/amor-o-plata-el-misterio-detras-del-traslado-de-la-capital-2026-10-06 : accessed 4 November 2026).
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Wikipedia, "Tegucigalpa," Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tegucigalpa : accessed 4 November 2026).

Honduras: secondary sources for genealogical research

Background and geography

National archives and institutions

Archivo Nacional de Honduras "Antonio Ramón Vallejo" (ANH) [National Archives]1

Biblioteca Nacional "Juan Ramón Molina" [National Library]2

Hemeroteca Nacional "Ramón Rosa" [National Newspaper Library]3

Secretaría de las Culturas, las Artes y los Patrimonios de los Pueblos de Honduras (SECAPPH), Dirección General del Libro y el Documento4

Empresa Nacional de Artes Gráficas (ENAG), Diario Oficial La Gaceta5

Instituto Hondureño de Antropología e Historia (IHAH): Archivo Etnohistórico, CDIHH, and Biblioteca "Dr. Jesús Núñez Chinchilla"6

Academia Hondureña de Geografía e Historia (AHGH)7

Archivo Episcopal de Honduras (AEH), Comayagua, historical archive of the former bishopric of Honduras (1559-1916)8

Arquidiócesis de Tegucigalpa [Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa] (archive)9

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH): Fondo Documental Histórico (FDH), "Manuel J. Fajardo" collection, and Tzibalnaah repository10

Archivo General de Centro América (AGCA)11

Archivo General de Indias (AGI) / PARES portal12

FamilySearch (catalog and Honduras collections)13

Center for Research Libraries (CRL)14