Hispanic New World Timelines

A timeline of key eras and dates relevant to Hispanic and Hispanic-American family history.

Timelines are helpful for determining the location and provenance of records, and for understanding context surrounding your ancestors’ lives.

Table Of Contents

General Timeline

Compiled from a variety of online and print sources.

1492 – Early 1830s: Spanish Colonial Period
- 1492: Columbus lands at Cuba and claims it for Spain
  - Spanish Inquisition still going on (disbanded 1834)
  - End of the Reconquista in Spain; the Moors surrender Granada
  - Expulsion of the Jews from Spain
- 1496: First permanent Spanish settlement founded (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
- 1501: Spanish crown allows colonies to import African descent slaves from Iberia
- 1518: Spanish crows allows colonies to import slaves from Africa
- 1519 – 1521: Conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico by Cortes
- Colonization in the present day U.S.:
  - 1565: 1st permanent settlement founded in present day U.S., St. Augustine, Florida
  - 1598: Oñate established the first Spanish colony in New Mexico
  - 1610: Santa Fe founded in the province of New Mexico
  - 1718: San Antonio founded in the province of Texas
  - 1769: Portolá expedition with Father Serra into Alta California (Mission San Diego)
1800s (1st quarter): Latin American wars for independence
- 1821: Mexico gains independence from Spain
- Everyone except Cuba and Puerto Rico
1846 – 1848: Mexican American War
- 1848: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
- Mexico ceded 1/3 of its territory to the U.S.
1898: Spanish American War
- Spain relinquished Cuba
- End of Spanish colonial empire in the New World
- U.S. gained Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam as territories
1910 – 1920: Mexican Revolution
1917: Puerto Ricans granted U.S. citizenship
1953 – 1959: Cuban Revolution

1840s: Due to Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the California Gold Rush
1880s – 1900: Due to immigration restrictions impacting Chinese and Japanese, and expanding regional rail systems
1910 – 1920: Mexican Revolution
Late 1920s – Early 1930s : Forced repatriation back to Mexico
1942 – 1964: Bracero Program with Mexico

Migration instead of immigration, since became citizens in 1917.

18th Century: Mainly in Florida and New York City
Post-Revolution immigration, mostly in South Florida
- 1959 – 1960: Fled the Revolution
- 1965 – Early 1970s: Allowed to reunite with families in the U.S.
- 1980: Mariel Boatlift: Refugees granted permission to leave

1970s – 1980s: Fled political turmoil and violence
- Salvadorans: Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C.
- Guatemalans: California and Texas
- Hondurans: Florida and Texas
- Nicaraguans: Miami
Post-1990s: Fleeing civil and guerilla wars