Articles
Mexican States
Southwest United States
Heritage and Governance
Tracing Your Indigenous Roots in Northeast Mexico and Texas
Learn to trace your indigenous roots in northeastern Mexico and south Texas. Historian, genealogist, and author John P. Schmal will discuss the various tribal groups inhabiting this region; research techniques for finding your ancestors in this area; and helpful websites.
Indigenous San Luis Potosí and the Census
From 1895 to 2015, the Mexican census has painted a picture of Mexico’s people, providing details about languages spoken (Spanish, foreign and indigenous), religion, education, literacy, employment and migration. From the beginning, the Mexican census provided details about indigenous languages spoken by its citizens. However, in the first half century, it is possible that there were undercounts of indigenous language speakers because some may have failed to declare their language status for fear of affecting their position within the community. In addition, poor communications channels with rural, isolated indigenous communities may also have caused an undercount of the indigenous people.
Mexico’s 1921 Census: A Unique Perspective
In the aftermath of the Mexican revolution, Mexico’s Departamento de la Estadística Nacional administered a census that would be unique among Mexico’s census counts administered between 1895 and 2005. In this new census, the Mexican Government decided to ask Mexicans about their perception of their own racial heritage. In the 1921 census, residents of the Mexican Republic were asked if they fell into one of the following categories:
Navigating FamilySearch.org for Mexican Records
The most important FamilySearch.org link is the following one, which leads you to 66 Mexican collections, primarily Catholic Church records (going back, in some cases, to the 1500s and 1600s) and Civil Registry records (for municipio records).
Who Were the Chichimecas?
If your ancestors are from Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, Jalisco or San Luis Potosí, it is likely that you are descended from the indigenous peoples who inhabited these areas before the Spaniards arrived from the south. The historian Eric Van Young of the University of California at San Diego has called this area, the “the Center-West Region” of Mexico. This cultural region, according to Dr. Van Young, amounts to about one-tenth of Mexico’s present-day national territory.
Indigenous Northeastern Mexico: The Ancestors of the Tejanos
Among all the indigenous people of Mexico, understanding the Indians of Northeastern Mexico is very challenging, as nearly all of these tribal groups have disappeared as “distinguishable cultural entities.” The largest ethnic group ̶ the Coahuiltecans ̶ ranged through much of the northeast, including parts of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas and southern Texas. Today they do not exist.
Indigenous San Luis Potosí: The Land of the Huastecos and Náhuatl
The land-locked state of San Luis Potosí (SLP) is located in center- north Mexico. With a surface area of 61,137 square kilometers (representing 3.1% of the total area of the Mexican Republic), San Luis Potosí touches nine other Mexican states.
Indigenous San Luis Potosí: The Land of the Náhuatl and the Huastecos
The land-locked state of San Luis Potosí (SLP) is located in center-north Mexico. With a surface area of 61,138 square kilometers (representing 3.1% of the total area of the Mexican Republic), San Luis Potosí is politically divided into 58 municipios and touches nine other Mexican states. The state is adjacent to Coahuila on the north, Nuevo León on the northeast, and Tamaulipas on the northeast. Additionally, San Luis Potosí has a common border with Veracruz Llave (on the east), Guanajuato, Querétaro and Hidalgo on the south, Jalisco on the southwest, and Zacatecas to the west.
Article Categories
- Aguascalientes 9
- Arizona 2
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- Baja California Sur 2
- California 14
- Campeche 4
- Census 32
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- Chihuahua 10
- Coahuila 7
- Colima 2
- Durango 2
- Ethnic Identity 27
- Genealogy 30
- Guanajuato 7
- Guerrero 7
- Hidalgo 2
- Jalisco 20
- Mexico City 9
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- San Luis Potosi 8
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- Sonora 13
- Southwest US 21
- State of Mexico 5
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- Tamaulipas 11
- Texas 6
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- Veracruz 6
- Yucatan 5
- Zacatecas 11