The matrimonios only included the names of the bride and groom, their
calidad, at times their place of origin, sometimes their parents, the
witnesses, and the padrinos of the marriage.

The información matrimonial was a process called for by the Council of
Trent where the bride and groom declared their age, calidad, their place of
origin, their parents, and a previous marriage if there was one. They also
had to declare they were free to marry and didn't have the impediments of
consanguinity or affinity relationship, haven't promised to marry another
person, no criminal convictions, no promise of celibacy or to belong to a
religious order. The bride also declares she is marrying voluntarily and
isn't being forced pr coerced to marry. The información matimonial will
also have three witnesses that declare they have known the bride and/or
groom for a number of years and that everything that they know what the
bride and groom have said is known to be true. At times the witnesses are
related

That extra information can sometimes be invaluable. I have seen informacion matrimonial state that the groom had lived in other jurisdictions aside from their home town. In the early 1900's, there was some informacion matrimonial with a dispensation to the groom "de vaguedad" meaning he had been traveling without an official residence, showed he'd lived in Kansas City and other parts of the US.

Different reasons for a dispensa are that the bride and her family were very poor and needed immediate rescue. I find the informaciones matrimoniales full of information we wouldn't be able to get elsewhere.

Alicia

________________________________
From: "mayangrl@sonic.net"
To: research@lists.nuestrosranchos.org
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2012 9:03 PM
Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] Matrimonios vs. Información Matrimonial

What's the difference besides extra info?  Why the difference?

Thanks, Laura Gonzalez