Colonial Mexico Death Records
Colonial death records rarely name a disease — they name a symptom, or nothing at all. “Cruz alta,” “cruz baja” and “de limosna” reveal a family’s standing; burial “vajo del coro” reveals its rank. Reading what these brief entries actually tell us about life and death in northern Mexico.
The Evolution of Spanish Surnames in Colonial Mexico
Having reviewed thousands of colonial records, I have watched surnames from Europe shift and morph over centuries. Illiteracy, inconsistent scribes and topographic naming all played a part — and a changed spelling may be the very reason a branch of your family tree has stalled.