During Spanish colonial rule, in the 18th century, the area was known as "Nuevas Filipinas" ("""New Philippines"") and" "Nuevo Reino de Filipinas (""New Kingdom of the Philippines"), or as "provincia de los Tejas" ("province of the "Tejas""), later also "provincia de Texas" (or "de Tejas"), ("province of Texas"). It was incorporated as "provincia de Texas" into the Mexican Empire in 1821, and declared a republic in 1836. The Royal Spanish Academy recognizes both spellings, "Tejas" and "Texas", as Spanish-language forms of the name of the U.S. state of Texas.