Mexico's Population Around the War of Independence (1810–1821)

At the time of the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821), the territory of New Spain (roughly modern Mexico) had an estimated population of 6 to 7 million people.

Demographic Composition (Approximate)

• Indigenous peoples: ~60% (Nahua, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Otomí, Tarascan, others)
• Mestizos (mixed Indigenous/Spanish): ~25–30%
• Spaniards (peninsulares + criollos): ~10–15%
• Afro-descendants (enslaved and free): ~1–2%

The war caused significant mortality — estimates of 250,000–500,000 deaths from combat, famine, and disease — but the population base remained predominantly Indigenous and mestizo, a demographic reality that shaped post-independence nation-building.