which country ruled mexico before it became independent

The country that ruled Mexico before it became independent was Spain. Mexico was a Spanish colony known as New Spain, governed as part of the Spanish Empire from the early 16th century until it achieved independence in 1821 after the Mexican War of Independence. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire led to the establishment of Spanish rule, which lasted for about three centuries until Mexico declared and fought for its independence, formally recognized in 1821.