Hi,
I have finally decided to start searching in AER, but I have found that it
seems to no longer exist. It appears that you now have to go through a
Portal, called PARES. This I know, because when I type in the site address
for AER, I automaticallly get sent to this new site. Using the translated
version of this site, I have attempted to search records, but without
getting anywhere. Does anyone know how to access the archives now? I am
very interested in finding the emigration of my ancestor, Pioquinta Gonzalez
Figueroa, from Spain to Mexico in the mid-1800's. This may have already
been a topic of discussion in Nuestros Ranchos, but until one is interested
in such things, they just get overlooked. I would greatly appreciate the
help.
Corrine Ardoin
Santa Maria, California
PARES
Corrine:
You are correct that all of the records that used to be on AER are now accessible through PARES. The system is actually much more functional than the old one. What is the exact problem you are having?
I think the search you are doing is not going to give you any results. The Casa de Contratacion only kept track of people migrating to the Americas through the 1700s. By the mid-1800s Mexico was an independent country and therefore Spanish authorities had no control over who could migrate there. I know that for later years there are immigration records at Archivo General de la Nacion (in Mexico City) which has some records online as well, but the mid-1800s may be a lacuna in terms of available immigration records.