When Did the Spanish First Arrive in Mexico?

Spanish explorers first reached the territory of modern Mexico in 1519, when Hernán Cortés landed on the Yucatán Peninsula. Within two years, his forces—bolstered by indigenous allies—toppled the Aztec Empire, culminating in the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521.

This began nearly 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, during which Spanish became the official language, Catholicism was imposed, and a new mestizo society emerged. The colonial era ended with Mexican independence in 1821.