Viceroyalty of New Spain

The **Viceroyalty of New Spain** was the name of the territories of the Spanish Empire in North America and its peripheries in Asia that were ruled by the viceroy from 1521 to 1821. **New Spain** was the name that the Spanish gave to what is now central and southern Mexico, and since the area's viceroy had his capital in Mexico City, the name was also used for the viceroyalty.

The viceroyalty's territory included what are now the Bay Islands of Honduras (until 1643), Cayman Islands (until 1670), Central America (as far as the southern border of Costa Rica until 1821), Cuba, Florida, Hispaniola (including Haiti until 1700), Jamaica (until 1670) Mariana Islands, Mexico, Philippines, Puerto Rico, nearly all of the Southwestern United States (including all or parts of the U.S. states of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida). Spain claimed areas as far north as British Columbia and Alaska, but the northern boundary of New Spain was redefined by the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. New Spain also included Venezuela before it was annexed to the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717.

The territories were separated into provinces, each of which was led by a governor, who was responsible for its administration and often also led its army and militias. The provinces were grouped together under five high courts, called _audiencias_ in Spanish, at Santo Domingo, Mexico City, Guatemala, Guadalajara, and Manila.  The high courts and the governors had much autonomy from the viceroy and carried out most duties on their own. Only on important issues would the viceroy become directly involved in ruling the provinces.

In 1821, Spain lost its continental territories and recognized the independence of Mexico, as well as that of Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic) when it was invaded by Haiti that year. However, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Spanish East Indies (including the Mariana Islands and the Philippines) remained part of the Spanish Empire until it lost the 1898 Spanish–American War to the United States.

## Related pages

- History of New Spain

## Other websites

- MEXICO'S COLONIAL ERA--PART I: The Settlement of New Spain  at mexconnect.com
- Index to the DeWitt Colony Region under New Spain  at Texas A&M University
- 1492 -- Middle America at ibiblio.org _the public's library and digital archive_

## Infobox (former country)

- **native name**: Virreynato de Nueva España
- **image flag**: Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg
- **conventional long name**: Viceroyalty of New Spain
- **common name**: New Spain
- **status text**: Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
- **government type**: Monarchy
- **event start**: Spanish conquest of Mexico
- **year start**: 1521
- **date start**: August 16
- **event end**: Mexican War of Independence, Consummation of Mexican Independence
- **year end**: 1821
- **date end**: September 28
- **event1**: First viceking appointed
- **date event1**: 1521
- **event2**: Grito de Dolores
- **date event2**: 1810
- **p1**: Aztec
- **flag p1**: Glyphs for the member States of the Aztec Triple Alliance.svg
- **p2**: Mayan civilization
- **flag p2**: Sin bandera.svg
- **p3**: Tarascan State
- **p4**: Tondo
- **flag p5**: Royal Banner of the Crown of Castille (Habsburg Style).svg
- **p5**: Governorate of Cuba
- **flag p6**: Pavillon_royal_de_France.svg
- **p6**: Louisiana (New France)
- **p7**: Indigenous peoples of the Americas
- **flag p8**: TlaxcalaGlyph.jpg
- **p8**: Tlaxcala (Nahua state)
- **p9**: Cebu (historical state)
- **flag p3**: Sin bandera.svg
- **s1**: First Mexican Empire
- **flag p10**: Old_Flag_of_Brunei.svg
- **p10**: Maynila (historical polity)
- **flag p11**: 玳瑁_Taipue_-_Unknown_couple_-_Boxer_Codex_%281590%29.jpg
- **p11**: Caboloan
- **p12**: Sultanate of Ternate
- **flag s1**: Flag of Mexico 1821-1823.png
- **s2**: Spanish West Indies
- **flag s2**: Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
- **s3**: Spanish East Indies
- **flag s3**: Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
- **image coat**: Lesser Royal Coat of Arms of Spain (c.1504-1580).svg
- **image map**: Mapa del Virreinato de la Nueva España (1794).svg
- **image map caption**: map of New Spain in red, with territories claimed but not controlled in orange.
- **capital**: Mexico City
- **national anthem**: Marcha Real
- **common languages**: Spanish language, Spanish
- **religion**: Roman Catholicism
- **currency**: Mexican peso, Peso de Oro
- **leader1**: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I
- **year leader1**: 1535-1556
- **leader2**: Ferdinand VII of Spain, Ferdinand VII
- **year leader2**: 1813-1821
- **title leader**: List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain
- **deputy1**: Antonio de Mendoza
- **year deputy1**: 1535-1550
- **deputy2**: Juan O'Donojú
- **year deputy2**: 1821-1821
- **title deputy**: List of Viceroys of New Spain, Viceroy
- **stat year1**: 1519
- **stat pop1**: 20.000.000
- **stat year2**: 1810
- **stat pop2**: 7.657.300