An important part of a research library's holdings is its collection of archival and ephemeral material. These unpublished source documents are the raw materials for researchers and writers who seek evidence for their work. Archival holdings located in Mexico are very important to the study of the cultural heritage of the border region because the southwestern portion of the United States was governed by Spain and Mexico until the mid 19th century.

The Durango Microfilming Project is a cooperative effort involving the Archdiocese of Durango, Mexico, the Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango, the Instituto de Investigaciones Históricos de UJED, the Archivo Histórico del Estado de Durango and The Rio Grande Historical Collections at New Mexico State University. The purpose of the project is to microfilm the contents of the Historical Archives of the Archdiocese of Durango and important portions of the Historical Archive of the State of Durango. By doing so, the project will 1) preserve the records on archival quality microfilm which meets accepted standards, 2) make the information contained in the records available for research, especially to United States and other researchers who need access to more documentation which represents the Mexican point of view, and 3) allow the Archdiocese and the State Historical Archive to retire the original documents for security and long-term preservation.

Los Archivos Históricos del Arzobispado de Durango, México

 

Los Archivos Históricos del Arzobispado de Durango, housed in Durango's baroque cathedral, are rich in information about northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The records include padrones, libros de fabrica, aniversarios, cuadrantes, ordenes, oficios, cartas, diligencias matrimoniales, diezmos, and varios. More than 730 rolls of microfilm have been produced. For researchers who wish to consult the film, a preliminary finding aid of more than 2000 pages has been prepared. This guide is available, along with the film, in the Archives Search Room, Branson Hall, New Mexico State University Library. A diskette version of the guide also is available.

Catedral de Durango

Archivo General de Notarías de Durango, México  

The notarial archives of the State of Durango, Mexico are housed in the Archivos Históricos del Estado de Durango, located in the state cultural complex. The notarial archives consist of documents created by notaries during both the Spanish Colonial and Mexican national periods. The earliest documents date from the early 1600s from important colonial towns in Nueva Vizcaya such as Nombre de Dios, Cuencamé, San Juan del Rio and Durango. Most of the documents are arranged into books called protocolos organized by notary, location and date. The filming of the documents followed this general scheme. Types of documents commonly encountered in the AGND include testamentos, inventarios (de haciendas), otorgamientos, escrituras and hipotecas.

Archivo Historico del Estado de Durango

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Please send questions and comments to:
archives@lib.nmsu.edu 
Rio Grande Historical Collections,
NMSU Library MSC 3475
P.O. Box 30006, Las Cruces, NM 88003-0006