MAXIMILLIAN CHAIR (ca. 1850) —Spanish New Mexico has a long and colorful history and the original piece that inspired this chair was integral to that history. For more than 200 years, New Mexico was a colony of Spain and Mexico. In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain, and New Mexico became a province of Mexico for the next 21 years. Two years after the end of Mexican-American War (1846-1848), in 1850, New Mexico became a U.S. Territory . While the original that inspired the Maximillian chair dates to the 1850, the year New Mexico finally became a territory of the United States, the chairs' signature details—narrow, high back, carved side rails, arms and seat stretcher—reflect the enduring influence of the Spanish.