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Viceroyalty of New Spain

Type Object Region Mexico Time 1535

The Viceroyalty of New Spain (Virreinato de Nueva España) was the core colonial administrative entity established by the Spanish Habsburgs in the Ame…

Timeline

  1. 1521–1534Mexico City · Mexico CityAfter the fall of the Aztec Empire, the newly conquered lands were governed separately by conquistadors, the first audiencia, and royal envoys, with overlapping administrative responsibilities and an urgent need for a unified colonial center.
  2. 1535Mexico City · Mexico CityCharles V formally established the Viceroyalty of New Spain, appointed Antonio de Mendoza as first viceroy, and simultaneously reorganized the audiencia, establishing a co-governance framework of viceroy and audiencia.
  3. 1535–1540Mexico City · Mexico CityBetween 1535 and 1540 Mendoza implemented municipal construction, mining administration, and Indian policy, gradually solidifying the viceroyalty's model as the highest administrative unit in the Americas, which later served as a reference for the Viceroyalty of Peru and others.

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