Map of Spanish Colonies in the Americas

The Spanish colonies in America started falling during the Peninsular War when Spain itself was under attack from Napoleonic troops. The start of the 19th century proved to be a turning stone for the Americans when they started independence movements throughout the country. This resulted in the loss of the Spanish colonies in Central America, North America, and South America by 1825. During this time the Spanish lost most of their colonies in America except Cuba and Puerto Rico. This was often done with the help of the British Empire whose main interest was to break the Spanish monopoly in America. The 1898 Spanish-American War resulted in the loss of the remaining Spanish colonies in America. This was the end of the Spanish rule in America, after which the Spanish scattered all over the continent and settled in different places. But the Spanish colonies in America still existed for a while longer, mainly comprising of the poor immigrants or politically exiled Spanish, in Cuba, Mexico and Argentina.