Historical Overview

Ciales was founded on June 24, 1820, by Isidro Rodríguez as Villa Lacy, later renamed Ciales, and grew in the central mountain range of Puerto Rico after separating from Manatí. The rugged interior terrain shaped a farming community centered on the parish of Nuestra Señora del Carmen. Parish records begin in 1820, with the earliest digitized material accessible after 1876; researchers tracing Ciales families before that year should contact the local parish directly or consult Manatí records for pre-separation entries.

Coat of Arms

Image: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A golden shield bearing a purple lion standing on its hind legs, with a red tongue and forepaws holding a silver rolled parchment. At the top of the shield are three heraldic roses with red petals and green leaves. The purple lion symbolizes noble strength and vigilance; the parchment represents civic and municipal recordkeeping; the three roses allude to religious devotion and civic beauty.

Barrios

Genealogical records often identify individuals by barrio. Ciales has 9 barrios:

Ciales Pueblo
Cialitos
Cordillera
Frontón
Hato Viejo
Jaguas
Pesas
Pozas
Toro Negro

Neighboring Municipalities

Also check records in neighboring municipalities:

Historical Maps

Historical maps help identify barrios, boundaries, and communities as they existed in the past. Maps from the 18th and 19th centuries are preferred.

Ciales (2026)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, TIGER/Line Shapefiles

Genealogy Toolkit

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Civil Records

Began in 1885

Covers births, marriages, and deaths.

⬇ Search Civil Records

Parish Records

Parish: Nuestra Señora del Carmen

Records from 1820

⬇ Search Catholic Records

Diocesan Archive

Diocese: Diocese of Arecibo

For sacramental records not available digitally, contact the diocesan archive directly.

Diocese Website

Digital Archives

FamilySearch: Ciales Civil and parish records
Registros civiles de Ciales, 1885-1994 Civil Records FamilySearch catalog entry for Ciales civil registration records, covering indexed births, marriages, and deaths from 1885 through 1994.
Antiguo Cementerio Municipal Cemetery Records Find a Grave memorial page for the historic municipal cemetery of Ciales.
Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645–1969 Digitized Records Islandwide Catholic church-record collection including baptisms, marriages, burials, and confirmations. Includes Ciales parish records.
Puerto Rico Civil Registration, 1885–2001 Digitized Records Civil registration births, marriages, and deaths for all Puerto Rico municipalities including Ciales, beginning 1885.
FamilySearch: Puerto Rico Genealogy Complete records guide