The written history of Mexico spans more than three millennia. First populated over 13,000 years ago, central and southern Mexico, collectively termed Mesoamerica, witnessed the rise and fall of complex indigenous civilizations. Mexico later evolved into a unique multicultural society. Mesoamerican civilizations developed glyphic writing systems, which recorded the political history of conquests and rulers. The period of Mesoamerican history before European arrival is referred to as the prehispanic era or the pre-Columbian era.

Following Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, the nation experienced political turmoil. In the 1860s, France, with the support of Mexican conservatives, seized control during the Second Mexican Empire but was later defeated. The 19th century saw a period of relatively quiet prosperous growth. However, the Mexican Revolution in 1910 led to a bitter civil war. After calm was restored in the 1920s, economic growth remained while the population grew rapidly.