New Mexico has printed newspapers in Spanish since 1834. Its historic papers, published in English and Spanish from 1852 to 1922, are fully searchable through the University of New Mexico.
New Mexico obituaries in historic newspapers
El Crepúsculo de la Libertad, associated with Padre Antonio José Martínez, was printed in Taos in 1834 on one of the first printing presses in the region. After New Mexico became a U.S. territory, the Santa Fe Weekly Gazette and later the Santa Fe New Mexican reported deaths across the territory, often in both English and Spanish.
Spanish-language papers flourished in New Mexico in the late 1800s and early 1900s, in towns such as Las Vegas, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Their death notices, called defunciones or esquelas, are essential for Hispano families. Railroad and mining towns added English-language papers that recorded Anglo settlers, miners and health seekers who came for the climate.
From 2010 to 2015, the University of New Mexico’s Center for Southwest Research digitized more than 200,000 pages for the National Digital Newspaper Program. The New Mexico State Library holds newspapers back to 1849.
Where to find New Mexico obituaries
Digitized New Mexico newspapers
- NM Digital Newspapers, University of New Mexico — Free English- and Spanish-language New Mexico newspapers, 1852–1922.
- New Mexico Historical Newspapers, UNM Digital Repository — UNM’s repository of digitized New Mexico papers.
Archives and libraries
- New Mexico State Records Center and Archives — State archives in Santa Fe, with genealogy and vital records guidance.
- New Mexico Newspapers, FamilySearch Research Wiki — Volunteer-maintained guide to New Mexico newspaper archives, indexes and microfilm, with county-by-county links.
Nationwide newspaper archives
- Chronicling America, Library of Congress — Free digitized newspapers from every state. Narrow a search to New Mexico and the years you need.
- Google News Archive — Free scans of hundreds of older newspapers, browsable by title and date.
- Internet Archive newspapers — Free digitized newspapers and microfilm uploaded by libraries.
- FamilySearch — Free obituary indexes, death records and the Social Security Death Index (free account).
- Find a Grave — Volunteer-built cemetery memorials, many with transcribed obituaries.
- Newspapers.com — Large subscription archive of U.S. papers. Many public libraries offer free access.
- GenealogyBank — Subscription archive of historic newspapers and modern obituaries.
- Legacy.com — Obituaries published since about 2000 in most U.S. daily newspapers.
Tips for finding an obituary in New Mexico
- Pin down the date and place first. A death index or death certificate gives the exact date and county, and then you only need to search the local papers for the following week or two.
- Search more than one town. Obituaries often ran in the paper where the person was born or had lived before, not just where they died. Small-town weeklies sometimes published a notice weeks later.
- Look beyond the word “obituary.” Older papers reported deaths under headings like “Died,” “Deaths,” local news and personals columns, funeral notices and cards of thanks. See death notices vs. obituaries.
- Try every spelling. Search initials, nicknames and misspellings, and for married women in older papers, search the husband’s name (“Mrs. John Smith”). Digitized text often misreads old type.
- Ask a librarian. Many public libraries and state archives will look up an obituary for free or a small fee, and newspaper microfilm can often be borrowed through interlibrary loan.