The Colonial Americas

Illustration of a man in traditional attire working with a manuscript, sitting indoors with columns and a landscape visible outside a window.

Learn about the different colonial situations across the Americas, from the colonial U.S. to the Spanish viceroyalties and beyond

Why the Colonial Americas?

Taking a broad hemispheric look at the colonial situations across the Americas offers important insight into the history of North America and South America

The Viceroyalty of New Spain

From 1521–1821, Mexico, Central America, large portions of the U.S. and the Caribbean were controlled by the Spanish Crown

Painting of a woman in 17th-century attire, seated at a desk with books, holding a rosary, wearing nun's robes in a library setting
overwhelming decoration of santo domingo ceiling
Religious artwork depicting Virgin Mary surrounded by angels and floral designs
featherwork showing a woman with a halo and hands held clasped together
featherworker florentine codex
a woman wears a blue cape and a floral crown while holding a candle and crucifix covered in flowers
A historical portrait of a man in armor with a beard, holding a helmet and a staff, with a coat of arms above him, on a dark background.
Garden Party on the Terrace of a Country Home, c. 1720–30 CE, folding screen, oil paint on canvas with gold, Mexico. Denver Art Museum.

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