Historical Overview

Santa Isabel is a southern coastal municipality founded on October 5, 1842, when residents led by Antonio Vélez separated from Coamo. Known as 'La Ciudad de los Poetas' (The City of Poets), the town developed around the parish of Santiago Apóstol and a strong agricultural economy shaped by the fertile coastal plain bordering the Caribbean Sea. For genealogical researchers, records predating 1842 are typically found in Coamo's parish registers; digitized parish books for Santa Isabel begin in 1852 and civil registration records from 1885 onward are available through FamilySearch.

Coat of Arms

Image: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The escudo of Santa Isabel centers on the letter I for Isabel, topped by a medieval royal crown, with red and silver colors honoring Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (Santa Isabel), the town's patronal namesake. A scallop shell symbolizes Santiago Apóstol (Saint James the Apostle), the parish patron and the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage tradition. The design unites the municipality's name, its parish patron, and its coastal heritage.

Barrios

Genealogical records often identify individuals by barrio. Santa Isabel has 8 barrios:

Boca Velázquez
Descalabrado
Felicia
Jauca
Playa
Puerto
Santa Isabel Pueblo
Vecino

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.

Santa Isabel (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: Santiago Apóstol

Records from 1852

⬇ 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: Santa Isabel Civil and parish records
Registros parroquiales de Santa Isabel, 1852–1959 Digitized Records Direct FamilySearch catalog entry for Santa Isabel parish registers (Santiago Apóstol); browse-available image set covering baptisms, marriages, and burials beginning 1852.
Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645–2021 Digitized Records Islandwide Catholic church-record collection including baptisms, marriages, burials, and confirmations. Includes Santa Isabel parish records from Santiago Apóstol beginning 1852.
Puerto Rico Civil Registration, 1885–2001 Digitized Records Civil registration births, marriages, and deaths for all Puerto Rico municipalities including Santa Isabel, beginning 1885.
Cementerio Municipal de Santa Isabel — Find a Grave Cemetery Index Main municipal cemetery page for Santa Isabel on Find a Grave. Useful for verifying death dates and burial information.
Digitized Church Records for Santa Isabel — Genealogía Nuestra Digitized Records Detailed secondary index with baptism, marriage, confirmation, and death book ranges for Santa Isabel. Useful for locating exact book numbers and image references in FamilySearch.
Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico Church Indexes — Hijos de Coamo Digitized Records Parish index guide for Santiago Apóstol, Santa Isabel; provides book numbers and image ranges for FamilySearch Catholic records.
FamilySearch: Puerto Rico Genealogy Complete records guide