Archivo General del Estado de Puebla (AGEP)

History and Founding

The Archivo General del Estado de Puebla (AGEP) was formally created on September 8, 1978, under the second Organic Law of Public Administration, by disposition of the state executive. Prior to this, the archive functioned primarily as an administrative support unit with limited scope. The new law designated it as the custodian of the historical memory of Puebla's executive branch, and its collections were initially assembled from documentation rescued from various public offices, including records from the Secretaría de Educación Pública and the Junta Local de Conciliación y Arbitraje. In 1980, a law formally created the Archivo Administrativo e Histórico de Puebla.

From 1978 to 1985 the archive depended on the Oficialía Mayor de Gobierno. In 1985 it relocated to a larger building and transferred to the Secretaría de Cultura, also being transformed into the Archivo General del Estado de Puebla and recognized as the normative head of the Sistema Estatal de Archivos, integrated into the national archives system. On October 22, 1991, a decree published in the Periódico Oficial del Estado formally placed the AGEP under the Secretaría de Gobernación. A restoration and bookbinding workshop for historical documents has operated since 1998.

Facilities

The archive is located in the Instituto Cultural Poblano building, the former state penitentiary (Fuerte de San Javier), which was originally built on the site of a Jesuit college and temple founded in 1740. After the expulsion of the Jesuits and interruptions during foreign interventions (U.S. in 1847 and French in 1863), construction of the penitentiary was completed and it was inaugurated on April 2, 1891, by President Porfirio Díaz. The building also houses the Archivo General de Notarías and the Archivo Judicial del Estado de Puebla, as well as a Hemeroteca.

Collections and Holdings

The AGEP's collections span the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries and include several significant documentary funds:

• Beneficencia Pública del Estado (1705–1989): Records of public welfare institutions.
• Registro Civil (1861–1900): Civil registry records.
• Penitenciaría del Estado (1891–1984): Records of the state prison.
• Publicaciones Periódicas (1788 to present): A long-running collection of serial publications and periodicals, highly significant for journalism history.
• Photographs and negatives of the administration of Governor Alfredo Toxqui Fernández de Lara (1978–1981).

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

The Publicaciones Periódicas fund, spanning from 1788 to the present day, is among the archive's most valuable holdings for media historians, providing a long documentary record of Puebla's press and serial publications. The archive also holds a specialized library on archival science and public administration. Certified copies of historical documents are available on request.

Access and Usage

The AGEP offers free consultation services. Researchers who visit regularly can obtain a credential for personalized service. Guided visits to the facilities—including the document repository, restoration workshop, curation area, reading room, and museum—are available at no charge and can be arranged by phone or email. The archive is open to the general public and to researchers.