Researching In The Archivo General de la Nación in Mexico City

Last updated: 7/25/2024😄

UPDATE:

The AGN now grants access to several repositories via the internet. Click here for more details.

After my last visit in March of 2023, there are many updates to present. Here is a quick list:

• You need to wear a mask inside the AGN
• You need to wear nitrile gloves to handle documents (cotton gloves are no longer accepted)
• You can only request 3 items at a time
• The cafeteria is closed
• The document consultation gallery closes at 3:45PM and you cannot request new documents after 2PM

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Most scholars doing historical research of any sort in Mexico will likely have to stop in the Archivo General de la Nacion at least once. The AGN is located in the delegación Venustiano Carranza. If you are lost and looking for the archive, asking for the Palacio de Lecumberri is a better option, since more people know where that is. I also invite you to check out this post I made for H-Net on the AGN in Mexico City.

Consultation Hours:

9AM-3:45PM, M-F

Technically the viewing room is open until 4PM, but the employees will ask you to return your documents at 3:45PM. You are not allowed to request any new documents after 2:30PM. Any requests made after 2:30PM will be available the following business day.

How to get there:

• Take the metro to the San Lazaro station and walk about 10 minutes. (caution, the pink metro line is undergoing renovations and the stops from Balderas to Pantitland are closed. The Metro provides a free “support bus” for riders using a metro card as of 3/15/2023)
• Take the Metro bus and get off on “Archivo General de la Nación” and walk under 5 minutes. This is the best option if you are near the Metro Bus linea 4 ruta norte.
• Take a cab or an uber. This option is going to be the most expensive.

What You Need to Register:

• A reference letter (typically your adviser or institution)
• Three picture IDs
  • Any ID with your address on it (such as a diver’s license)
  • Your passport
  • An ID to check out your locker when you first enter (pro tip: use a school ID for this)
• Fill out an application provided by the AGN
• An idea of what you want to see in the archive. The application will ask what your research topic is, and what you want to see, if you don’t have an answer for the either of these, the staff will ask you to look on the database and find some things. A good place to start is by checking the AGN’s online search guide. Keep in mind the online search guide is not definitive and you will want to also poke around in “Archidoc” once you get to the AGN. Archidoc is only available on site.
• The first time you go to the AGN, you will have to go to the centro de referencia. Here you will have to submit and fill-out the items listed above.

What You Need to Consult Documents:

• Your archival research kit
  • As of March 2023 a mask is required in all areas inside of the AGN
  • Cotton gloves are no longer accepted, you need to wear nitrile gloves. The staff I interacted with seem to prefer that you wear blue nitrile gloves. Pro tip: wear cotton gloves under your nitrile gloves so you can slide all of your gloves on and off easier without getting a sticky and sweaty mess.
• A recommend bringing headphones.
  • Archives can be very noisy, from camera shutters to chatting. In order to avoid any issues I simply wear headphones and listen to music. I find this makes the time go by quicker as well.
• The AGN recommends, as do I, that you request the documents you wish to see before hand by emailing Eunice Ruíz Zamudio at eruiz@agn.gob.mx
• If you do not request the items before hand, it will take roughly 45 minutes to receive them once you request them on-site.
• You are now only allowed to consult 10 items per day, so plan accordingly. Usually you can only request 3 items at a time, including via email.

Consultation/ Image Reproduction

• Important Notes
  • You cannot consult the originals files of Volumes 1-1500 of the Inquisition, you must consult them on Microfilm at the AGN. This policy came into effect in 2016.
• Transcribing
  • You can either type your transcriptions on a laptop, or write them down on loose pieces of paper.
• Photographs
  • The AGN allows you to photograph documents for free. You can consult most documents in the AGN as long as they are not in restoration, and they have not been previously digitized.
• Digitizing
  • You can pay to have a document digitized. This is the price break down:
    • 100 MXN per foja for 300 dpi scans
    • 180 MXN per foja for 600 dpi scans
  • If the item you wish to consult has already been digitized, you can request printouts for 10 pesos per page. This is much cheaper than digitizing.
  • NOTE: If an item has been digitized, you will not be allowed to consult the original unless you appeal. The appeals process takes a week or so, and is a hassle. The most common option is consulting the document on ARCHIDOC in the AGN (free), getting prints (see above), or paying for pdf reproductions (see above).

The Daily Grind at the AGN:

• When you first enter the AGN, you will have to make a quick left and get a locker. You are not allowed to take anything past this point except a laptop/tablet, cellphone, camera, loose leafs of paper, and a bottle of water. You are also allowed to use a clear bag to carry your items in and out of the galleries. You cannot enter with a tripod or cases for you laptop, cellphone, camera, or tablet. You will have to leave your backpack in a locker that will be assigned to you. When I started going to the AGN you had to leave a 20 MXN deposit for the key, now you leave your ID.
• Once you get past the locker section, you will get to a main security desk. Here you will have to register any large electronics (e.g., digital camera, or laptop) that you take into the AGN. On the way out, you will have to sign out at this very same location.
• Assuming you are registered and have a researcher ID, you can head over to the viewing room. The AGN now has one viewing room for all documents irrespective of epochs.
• Here are some tips on how to handle documents, straight from the AGN:

• Here is the old layout of the AGN:

Where to eat:

• The AGN’s cafeteria is not open at this time.
• Bring lunch. This is the cheapest and quickest way to eat at the AGN.
• Eat in a fonda or restaurant nearby. There a couple of restaurants nearby, depending on how safe you feel in the area, you might want to poke around.
  
  • If you do want to go off site I would recommend the CHEDRAUI that is east of the AGN. There you will be able to find ready cooked food in their food court, and a few restaurants such as KFC and Burger King that serve food inside.

Safety:
Always be aware of your surroundings at all times and try to keep valuables tucked away. There have been reports of muggings and such from San Lazaro to the AGN and in the park behind the AGN. Generally the AGN area is safe, but you should be careful. Be very cautious around the AGN and its surrounding areas early in the morning or at night.