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In the Pre-Columbian era, Central America was inhabited by the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica, especially the Mayans and the Aztecs. Soon after Christopher Columbus's voyages to the Americas, the Spanish began to colonize the Americas. From 1609 until 1821, most of the territory within Central America—except for the lands that would become Belize and Panama—was governed as the Captaincy General of Guatemala. After achieving independence from Spain in 1821, the former Captaincy General was annexed to the First Mexican Empire, but soon seceded from Mexico to form the Federal Republic of Central America, which lasted from 1823 to 1838. The seven nations finally became independent autonomous nations, beginning with Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemala (1838), followed by El Salvador (1841), then Panama (1903), and finally Belize (1981).