The Mexican-American War (or the U.S. – Mexico War) was the conflict that took place between 1846 and 1848 and caused Mexico to lose close to half of its territory and the U.S. to acquire what is today Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and California. The Spanish in North America and the Treaty of San Lorenzo Since the 16th century, the Spanish had been present in North America. Many of the Spanish-held territories eventually became part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which encompassed what is today Mexico. In the northeastern parts of the continent, France and England vied for control of the territory. With the Independence of the…