Archivo General del Estado de Oaxaca (AGEO)

History and Founding

The Archivo General del Estado de Oaxaca (AGEO) has roots in the earliest years of Mexican independence. Following independence and the formal constitution of the State of Oaxaca in 1824, a decree was issued to establish a general state archive to centralize and preserve viceregal documents from government secretariats as well as municipal and ecclesiastical archival holdings. The archive's documentary collections date chronologically from 1574 to 1950, encompassing five major record groups: Gobierno (Government), Hacienda (Treasury), Justicia (Justice), Milicia (Military), and Registro Civil (Civil Registry).

A pivotal moment in the archive's modern history came in 2011, when the State Government of Oaxaca, in collaboration with the Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú Oaxaca (FAHHO) and the civil association Apoyo al Desarrollo de Archivos y Bibliotecas de México (ADABI), undertook a major project to rescue, organize, and stabilize the Archivo Histórico. This effort resulted in the classification of more than 217,000 files and 13,000 books, housed in more than 25,000 archival boxes. In 2007, a Digital Historical Archive was launched. A purpose-built modern archive building in the Parque Las Canteras was constructed starting in 2014 and inaugurated in 2017, designed by architect Ignacio Mendaro Corsini, with repositories holding more than 8 linear kilometers of documents. In 2023, the AGEO was reconstituted as a non-sectorized decentralized public organism with technical, administrative, and financial autonomy.

Collections and Holdings

The AGEO holds approximately 215,946 documentary files organized into five principal funds: Gobierno, Hacienda, Justicia, Milicia, and Registro Civil. It also maintains a photographic archive (Fototeca) established in 1997, containing approximately 5,500 items including lithographs, photographs, and negatives of state governors, inaugurations, and official events. The archive's holdings include documents signed by historical figures such as Benito Juárez and Porfirio Díaz.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

The archive's Gobierno fund includes an Industry and Commerce section with records on textile factories and commercial enterprises relevant to the economic and industrial history of Oaxaca. Among its documentary collections are bound runs of the Diario Oficial de Oaxaca, which archivists have traditionally bound by hand. The archive actively shares documentary highlights and historical materials through its social media channels.

Access and Usage

The AGEO offers a public reading room for direct consultation of original historical documents. Reprographic and digitization services are available for researchers. The archive has 162 staff members (as reported during the COVID-19 period) and provides orientation services both in person and through social media. It is located at Av. Canteras s/n esq. Los Pinos, Col. Santa María Ixcotel, in the municipality of Santa Lucía del Camino, adjacent to Oaxaca City.