Mexico Was a Spanish Colony for Nearly 300 Years (1521–1821)

Yes. Mexico was the crown jewel of the Spanish Empire as the Viceroyalty of New Spain (1521–1821).

Conquest & Establishment

• 1519: Hernán Cortés lands at Veracruz, allies with Tlaxcalans.
• 1521: Tenochtitlan (Aztec capital) falls after siege. Mexico City built on ruins.
• 1535: Viceroyalty formally established; first viceroy Antonio de Mendoza.

Colonial Structure

• Territory: At peak: current Mexico + US Southwest + California + Florida + Central America (to Costa Rica) + Philippines + Caribbean.
• Economy: Silver (Zacatecas, Guanajuato) → 2/3 of world supply → financed Spanish hegemony. Encomienda → hacienda system. Indigenous labor (repartimiento).
• Society: Casta system: Peninsulares (Spanish-born) > Criollos (American-born Spanish) > Mestizos > Indios > Negros. Rigid, racialized.
• Church: Spiritual conquest parallel; Inquisition (1571); syncretic Catholicism.

Independence

• 1810: Hidalgo's Grito de Dolores.
• 1821: Plan of Iguala / Treaty of Córdoba — Iturbide enters Mexico City. Empire → Republic (1824).

Legacy

Language, religion, law, land tenure, cuisine, genetics — Spain's imprint is foundational. But the 300-year colonial experience also forged a distinct Mexican identity that rejected both Spanish and later French/US domination.