Mexico

1. Center of advanced pre-Columbian civilizations, including the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec empires.
2. 1521: Conquest by Hernán Cortés establishes three centuries of Spanish colonial rule as New Spain.
3. 1810–1821: War of Independence ends Spanish rule; an empire follows (1821–1823) before the republic is established in 1824.
4. 1846–1848: Mexican-American War ends with the loss of over half of Mexican territory to the United States.
5. 1910–1920: Mexican Revolution overthrows dictator Porfirio Díaz, drafting the progressive 1917 Constitution.
6. 1994: Enactment of NAFTA drives massive industrial manufacturing exports and foreign investment.
7. 2000: Historic election ends 71 years of uninterrupted single-party rule by the PRI.

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