Church Records: Baptisms

According to Catholic doctrine, all individuals must be baptized in order to be saved. Due to this universal need for baptism, these records include the majority of the people living in a parish, regardless of their social or economic status. Most christening records written in Nahuatl generally include less than those of their Spanish counterparts. However, the following information could be found on a baptism record, depending on the time period when they were created:

• Given name and surname of the person being baptized
• Date of the baptism
• Date of baptismal entry (usually same as baptism)
• Date and birthplace of the person being baptized
• Whether the child being baptized was legitimate or illegitimate
• Given names, surnames, residence, and birthplaces of the parents and grandparents
• Marital status of the parents
• Names of the godparents and sometimes their relationship to the child
• Residence or birthplaces of the godparents
• Name or signature of the officiating priest

The information included in these records usually follows a specific order; however, it is not uncommon to find the same information in a different order. For this reason, it is important to familiarize oneself with the format of the document being worked on.

For examples of baptismal records see the document gallery.

Image: José Vivar y Valderrama, Bautizo de Ixtlixóchitl, 1752, oil on canvas, Museo Nacional de Historia, Mexico City, Wikimedia Commons, (https://commons.wikimedia.org : accessed 30 July 2026). This image is in the public domain in the United States.