New Spain

New Spain was a Spanish colonial viceroyalty established in 1535, governed from Mexico City and extending across parts of the Americas and Asia. Its territories and boundaries changed over time.

Viceroyalty of New Spain: The colonial government headed by a viceroy that administered Spain’s American territories from Mexico City. This was New Spain’s central governing institution, though the viceroyalty and its territory were not identical.
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire: The 1519–1521 campaign that toppled the Mexica-led Aztec Empire and established Spanish rule in central Mexico. The conquest provided the political foundation for Spain’s later colonial government in Mexico.
Silver mining in New Spain: The extraction of silver from mines in colonial Mexico, including major centers such as Zacatecas and Guanajuato. Silver mining supplied wealth that sustained the colony and entered long-distance trade.
Indigenous peoples of Mexico: The diverse Indigenous communities and nations whose histories, languages, and cultures developed in the territory now called Mexico. Their experiences and resistance shaped New Spain’s society and persisted beyond colonial rule.
Mexico City: The capital of Mexico and, under Spanish rule, the administrative center of New Spain. Royal officials coordinated much of the viceroyalty’s government from this city.
Hernán Cortés: A Spanish conquistador who led the campaign against the Aztec Empire and governed New Spain briefly. His campaign initiated Spanish rule in the region that became New Spain.
Manila galleon: A Spanish transpacific trading system linking Manila and Acapulco from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. It connected New Spain’s Pacific coast to Asian goods and commerce.
Virgin of Guadalupe: A Marian apparition traditionally said to have appeared to Juan Diego near Mexico City in 1531. Her devotion became a powerful religious and cultural symbol in New Spain.
Council of the Indies: A Spanish royal body that advised the Crown and administered its overseas possessions. It shaped New Spain’s laws and appointments from Spain.
Aztec Empire: A Mesoamerican empire dominated by the Mexica from its capital, Tenochtitlan, before the Spanish conquest. Its defeat transformed the political landscape on which New Spain was established.

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