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Mexico's postal system has its roots in the Aztec system of messengers which the Spanish adopted...

Mexico's postal system has its roots in the Aztec system of messengers which the Spanish adopted after the Conquest. During the 18th century, Spain established a formal postal system with regular routes. In 1856, Mexico issued its first adhesive postage stamps, with "district overprints", a unique feature among postal systems worldwide, employed to combat theft of postage stamps. From the late 19th century, Mexico's stamps were generally conservative in design and often manufactured abroad. The Mexican Revolution and ensuing Civil Wars (1910-1920), however, threw Mexico into upheaval and resulted in numerous provisional and local stamps issued by the factions in control of different areas of the country. In the years preceding World War II, the look of Mexico's stamps changed dramatically, with many stamps displaying the works of modern Mexican abstract and mural artists. Mexico is popular among philatelists particularly for its classic issues with their complex use of district overprints and invoice numbers, as well as the variety of cancellations used on those issues. Other areas that have received extensive philatelic attention are Mexico's pre-stamp postal markings, the issues