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Search New Mexico Obituaries
Look up obituaries, death records and people by name.
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Obituary guide
How to find an obituary in New Mexico
For a recent death, start with the funeral home's website and the obituary pages of the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe New Mexican or your local paper. For an older obituary, the Albuquerque Public Library's Genealogy Center will look up obituaries from before 2015 by email, and UNM's digitized historical newspapers cover the 1800s and 1900s.
What to have ready
- Full name, including a maiden name and, for many New Mexico families, both surnames
- Approximate date and place of death (city or town, and county)
- Age at death or birth year
- Names of close relatives (spouse, children, parents)
Tip: Knowing the county narrows the search the most. Outside Albuquerque and Santa Fe, start with the county paper.
Where to look, by when the person died
| When the person died | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Last few years | Funeral home websites; the Albuquerque Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican on Legacy.com; Legacy.com's New Mexico page |
| 1990s to recent decades | The Albuquerque Public Library's obituary service: for Albuquerque obituaries before 2015, email librarygenealogy@cabq.gov. Also try newspaper databases with a library card. |
| Older or historic | The Genealogy Center's Albuquerque obituary index (1888–2013), searchable on site; UNM's New Mexico Historical Newspapers; the Albuquerque Genealogical Society's newspaper name indexes; Chronicling America; the State Records Center and Archives |
| Official death record | See NM Department of Health death certificates and how to order a New Mexico death record. |
Major newspapers' obituary pages
- Albuquerque Journal: the paper's own obituary link leads here
- Santa Fe New Mexican, on Legacy.com
- Legacy.com's New Mexico page: an index of New Mexico newspaper and funeral home notices
The Las Cruces Sun-News has an obituary page, but its site blocked our check.
Libraries and archives
- Albuquerque Public Library obituaries: the Genealogy Center's index to Albuquerque obituaries, 1888–2013, built by Albuquerque and New Mexico Genealogical Society volunteers. Index and images can be searched on the library's local network. Cardholders can also use ProQuest Historical Newspapers and NewspaperArchive.
- UNM New Mexico Historical Newspapers guide: over 200,000 digitized pages from around the state
- Albuquerque Genealogical Society newspaper name indexes
- New Mexico State Library
- State Records Center and Archives genealogy sources
Timeline expectations
- Recent obituaries: these appear online once the family or funeral home publishes them, so timing varies.
- Albuquerque Genealogy Center: usually responds to email requests within a few days.
- Digitized newspapers: UNM's collection spans the 1800s–1900s. Coverage varies by town.
Tips
- When you email the Genealogy Center, include the name and an approximate time period. That's what it asks for.
- UNM's guide also points to Spanish-language New Mexico newspapers, which are worth checking for Hispanic families.
- Search under both surnames, and under the married name for women.
Last verified:
Note: Coverage years, fees and web addresses are set by the libraries, archives and newspapers listed and can change. PublicLibraries.com is not affiliated with them.