The Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES) is Spain’s official online archival database, managed by the Ministerio de Cultura (previously called Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte for several years). It provides free digital access to millions of documents preserved in Spain’s national archives.

You can access the database here:
👉 https://pares.culturaydeporte.gob.es

PARES brings together records from major Spanish state archives, including the Archivo General de Indias, Archivo Histórico Nacional, and other repositories that document Spain’s administration, colonial governance, military activity, migration, and ecclesiastical matters.

For Caribbean genealogy research, PARES is an essential resource. Because Spain governed territories such as Puerto Rico, Cuba, Santo Domingo, and other parts of the Caribbean for centuries, many colonial-era records were centralized and preserved in Spain. These records include:

  • Passenger lists and migration records

  • Military service files

  • Government correspondence

  • Notarial and legal documents

  • Colonial administrative records

  • Ecclesiastical references

  • Royal decrees and petitions

Many collections date back to the 15th and 16th centuries, with some materials extending even earlier. Colonial Caribbean documentation is especially strong from the 1500s through the 19th century, covering the period of Spanish rule in the Americas.

This category contains guides, search strategies, translations, and walkthroughs to help you navigate PARES effectively — including how to interpret Spanish archival terminology and colonial-era handwriting.

If your Caribbean ancestors lived under Spanish rule, PARES is one of the most powerful — and often overlooked — tools available for tracing their lives.

What About Church Books?

Original parish registers (baptisms, marriages, burials) were typically kept at the local parish level in the Caribbean. Those records are usually found in:

  • Diocesan archives in the Caribbean

  • Parish archives

  • National archives of the respective island

  • FamilySearch or other digitization projects

Spain did not generally centralize sacramental books in the same way it centralized colonial administrative records.

However… There Are Exceptions

While PARES does not typically host full parish books, you may find:

  • Ecclesiastical correspondence

  • Marriage dispensations and investigations

  • Clergy appointments

  • Records involving church property

  • Legal cases that reference baptisms or marriages

  • Patronato Real documentation (because the Crown oversaw church administration in the colonies)

If you’re searching for a specific baptism or marriage entry, you’ll likely need to consult parish or diocesan archives directly. But if you’re researching the broader administrative, legal, or ecclesiastical context of your ancestor’s life under Spanish rule, PARES can be incredibly valuable.