Mexico-Tenochtitlan, founded in 1325, was the seat of one of the most powerful empires in Mesoamerica. Hernan Cortes would arrive in the Aztec capital in 1519, starting a violent war of conquest that culminated in the triumph of the Spanish. From then on and as a product of the meeting of civilizations, New Spain was formed and what would become its capital, Mexico City, which for three centuries was part of the Spanish crown.