Historical Overview

Salinas is a southern coastal municipality known for its historic salt flats, which give the town its name, and for the Aguirre sugar mill complex that shaped its economy for over a century. Founded in 1820 from the territory of Coamo, the town's parish of Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate holds digitized registers beginning in 1854, and civil registration records from 1885 onward are available through FamilySearch. Researchers with ancestors predating 1820 should search Coamo parish and civil records, as families living in the Salinas area before municipal separation would have been recorded there.

Coat of Arms

Image: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The escudo of Salinas reflects the municipality's name and coastal economy. The shield symbolizes the town's historical salt extraction and fishing industries, which give the municipality its name (salinas means salt flats). The design emphasizes the coast, the salt flats, and the working economy that shaped local families for generations.

Barrios

Genealogical records often identify individuals by barrio. Salinas has 6 barrios:

Aguirre
Lapa
Palmas
Quebrada Yeguas
Río Jueyes
Salinas Pueblo

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.

Salinas (2026)

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

Genealogy Toolkit

FamilySearch account required. The record links below open digitized images on FamilySearch. You must be logged in to a free FamilySearch account to view the records. Create a free account or sign in before clicking any link.

Civil Records

Began in 1885

Covers births, marriages, and deaths.

⬇ Search Civil Records

Parish Records

Parish: Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate

Records from 1854

⬇ Search Catholic Records

Diocesan Archive

Diocese: Diocese of Ponce

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

Diocese Website

Digital Archives

FamilySearch: Salinas Civil and parish records
Registros parroquiales de Salinas, 1854–1942 Digitized Records Direct FamilySearch catalog entry for Salinas parish registers (Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate); browse-available image set covering baptisms, marriages, and burials beginning 1854.
Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645–2021 Digitized Records Islandwide Catholic church-record collection including baptisms, marriages, burials, and confirmations. Includes Salinas parish records from Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate beginning 1854.
Puerto Rico Civil Registration, 1885–2001 Digitized Records Civil registration births, marriages, and deaths for all Puerto Rico municipalities including Salinas, beginning 1885.
Cementerio Municipal de Salinas — Find a Grave Cemetery Index Main municipal cemetery page for Salinas on Find a Grave. Useful for verifying death dates and burial information.
Salinas, Puerto Rico Church Indexes — Hijos de Coamo Digitized Records Parish index guide for Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate, Salinas; provides book numbers and image ranges for FamilySearch Catholic records.
FamilySearch: Puerto Rico Genealogy Complete records guide

GenealogíaPR.com Transcriptions

The following links connect to free church record transcription resources available through GenealogíaPR.com, the website of the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía. These valuable resources were created and shared through the dedicated work of Sociedad members.

Salinas: Church Record Transcriptions Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía

If these transcriptions help advance your Puerto Rican genealogy research, please consider supporting this important work by becoming a member of the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía: Join here.