Mexico was the site of several advanced Native American civilizations, of the Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Maya and the Aztecs. The arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century and their defeat of the Aztecs in 1521 marked the beginning of the colonial period of Mexico as a part of New Spain.
In 1810, independence from Spain was declared, causing a long war that eventually led to independence in 1821. After independence, Mexico's territory slowly decreased in size, with the secession of Central America and Texas and land lost and sold to the United States (see Mexican-American War) . In the 1860s the country suffered a military occupation by France, fought off by Mexican patriot Benito Juárez.
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