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I am thrilled to again coordinate a series of genealogy classes for Legacy Family Tree Webinars focused on people of Mexican origin. This includes people in present-day Mexico, colonial New Spain, and the parts of the United States that once belonged to either or both. The 2025 series takes a deep dive into researching Mexican and Mexican-American family history and builds upon sources and methods covered in previous years’ series.
The 2025 Webinar Series Lineup
Joining me on the teaching team again this year are three friends who are great presenters and have in-depth knowledge on topics I do not teach. Nefi Arenas Salazar, AG, lives in Mexico City and is the founder and owner of Parentum Genealogy Services. Joy Oria, MLS, formerly with the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research in Houston, Texas is the Genealogy and Local History Librarian at Pueblo City-County Library District in Colorado. Lisa Medina, MBA, is an academic colleague who provides U.S. and Mexican research services.
(Webinar One) Las Californias: Alta, Baja, and Beyond
Learn about key records and repositories to support your research of eighteenth and nineteenth century ancestors from present-day California and nearby regions. We will also cover important historical events and context to help identify additional resources for your research.
- Date & Time: Friday, January 17, 2025 (2:00 p.m. Eastern)
- Instructor: Lisa Medina
(Webinar Two) Mexican Notarial Records: An Invaluable Source for Reconstructing the Past of Mexican Families
- Date & Time: Friday, March 21, 2025 (2:00 p.m. Eastern)
- Instructor: Nefi Arenas Salazar
Testaments, dowry letters, land sales, cattle leasing, power of attorney letters, and many other types of documents were created by public and royal scribes all over Mexico in the last five centuries. Notarial archives are rich in detail and history. Whenever they are available, they become an essential tool for genealogical research, adding depth to the lives of ancestors, or bridging gaps when church records have been lost. This conference is a basic outline of these records and where to find them both offline and online.
(Webinar Three) Traditions of Death and Burial in Mexico
Date & Time: Friday, May 16, 2025 (2:00 p.m. Eastern)
Instructor: Joy Oria
Burial records may be one of the least used records in Mexican genealogical research and yet are also one of the more easily accessible. Seemingly brief in content, these records reveal more than the dry facts of a person’s death. Once placed in the greater context of traditions, church practices, and remembrances like Día de los Muertos, we gain insight into our ancestors’ experiences with death and mourning.
(Webinar Four) Strategies for Sorting Out and Documenting Mexican Names and Families
Date & Time: Friday, July, 18, 2025 (2:00 p.m. Eastern)
Instructor: Colleen Robledo Greene
This presentation demonstrates methods and tools for tackling two common predicaments when researching families of Mexican origin. First, distinguishing between people with the same names, living in the same place, at the same. And second, determining which compound given names and compound surnames to record in your source citations, online trees, and family narratives.
(Webinar Five) Mexican Immigration Records Through the Centuries
Date & Time: Friday, September 19, 2025 (2:00 p.m. Eastern)
Instructor: Nefi Arenas Salazar
For the last 500 years, Mexico has been a crossroads of peoples, cultures and ethnicities. Starting in the XVI century, wave after wave of European, African and Asian people. Many records have been preserved which can help you discover your ancestor’s movements. Explore the rich migratory history of Mexico from Passenger Lists to the Indies to XX century foreign registries.
(Webinar Six) University Archives in México: Manuscripts, Photos, and Theses, Oh my!
Date & Time: Friday, November 21, 2025 (2:00 p.m. Eastern)
Instructor: Lisa Medina
With original records and bibliographic resources, university archives are genealogical treasures. This presentation will include an introduction to common resources available at universities in Mexico, including original manuscripts, newspapers, historic photos, dissertations, etc., with examples from Universidad Autónoma de México, Colegio de Sonora, Universidad de Guadalajara, and many more.
How to Register for the Series
Registration is open for the Legacy Family Tree Webinar 2025 Mexico Research Series. That web page will allow you to bulk register for the entire series all at once. Register today on the Legacy Family Tree website!
Can’t make the live broadcast times? Recordings will be available in the Webinar Library.
About Legacy Family Tree Webinars
Legacy Family Tree Webinars produces a regular series of high quality educational webinars on a variety of genealogy topics, for all levels of experience. Live webinars are available free to the public. However, a subscription membership provides on-demand access to their robust library of previously recorded webinars and a copy of the presentation handout.
I factor an annual membership ($49.95) into my genealogy education plan and budget.
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