Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico forms a broad maritime basin between the North American mainland and Cuba. Indigenous communities lived and traded along its shores long before European expeditions crossed its waters. Spanish voyages reached Yucatán in 1517 and 1518, followed by Hernán Cortés's expedition in 1519. Their campaigns opened a new phase of conquest and colonial expansion around the gulf.

European powers later competed along the northern coast as well. French expeditions under Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville reached the Mississippi region, and Fort Maurepas was established in 1699. Across the basin, ports and sea routes connected settlements on widely separated shores.