| Challenge #2 (continued). The second greatest | | | | especially if you are going to pay for specialized |
| challenge that people experience in starting their | | | | family genealogy services or resources, you really |
| Mexico family genealogy is just not having enough | | | | want to be certain what the proper address is |
| information or not knowing where to get started | | | | before you start spending your money. |
| gathering information. This article will highlight | | | | If possible, ask the person who gave you the |
| problems with cities and states that pop up for | | | | address to verify the information. Maybe they |
| people gathering information to find someone in | | | | forgot an important fact, such as giving you both |
| Mexico and the solutions to get your family | | | | the city and state name. In some cases, the |
| genealogy research moving forward. | | | | person may not know there is a difference and |
| As people start their family genealogy research | | | | was simply passing on the address as they |
| they often will ask about Mexican addresses. A | | | | received it. |
| common problem for many is knowing what the | | | | This may appear to be a minor issue, but it's not. |
| names mean. Is the address the name of a city | | | | I just received an email asking for help with their |
| or a state? An example would be: Magdalena | | | | family genealogy research. The city and state the |
| Jalisco Autlan. | | | | person gave me is Puebla, Edo. de Mexico. There |
| Knowing the Mexican state is one piece of the | | | | is no city listing for Puebla in Edo. de Mexico so it's |
| puzzle as you gather the information you must | | | | very likely the correct city and state is Puebla, |
| have so you can find the person you are looking | | | | Puebla. If this person hadn't asked for expert |
| for or do your family genealogy. The easiest way | | | | advice, he may have continued searching for |
| to handle this is to first identify which is the state | | | | months thinking Puebla, Edo. de Mexico was a |
| name. The answer to the example above is: | | | | good address. It can be the small things that stop |
| Magdalena and Autlan are the names of cities in | | | | you from finding someone in Mexico. (Edo. de |
| the state of Jalisco. | | | | Mexico will be covered in-depth in the next article |
| From the many emails I receive, it is obvious | | | | of our series.) |
| there are general misunderstandings about the | | | | If at all possible, you have to verify your |
| Mexican states, the capitals and what is a proper | | | | information is correct. This is one of the reasons |
| address. There are thirty-one states in Mexico. | | | | why finding a person residing in Mexico and doing |
| Mexico City is the capital of the country. Most | | | | family genealogy research may require you to |
| capital cities have the same name as the state. | | | | get the services of experts who can answer |
| For instance, the capital of the state of Puebla is | | | | questions about addresses and so much more. It |
| Puebla. This is properly written as Puebla, Puebla. | | | | is virtually impossible to locate a person if you do |
| (There are state abbreviations, but I'll save that | | | | not have the city and the state where they are |
| for another time.) | | | | living. |
| So what does it mean if you have an address | | | | This information will be very helpful to your |
| with Puebla, Mexico? That's a good question. An | | | | Mexico family genealogy research. In the next |
| educated guess is that the proper address is | | | | article, we will continue to cover the topic of |
| should be Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. But when it | | | | Mexican state names. |
| comes to locating someone in Mexico and | | | | |