 In the 18th century, the Jesuits were leaders in education and culture in New Spain. Their work is of central importance, not only because they adapted modern European thought to their own circumstances, but also because they helped to instill a sense of national identity that would result in political independence from Spain in the 19th century. However, in 1767, at the height of their influence (and precisely because of their influence), the Spanish Crown expelled the Jesuits from its territories. This was a heavy blow to the development of modern philosophy in Mexico, and it fueled a nascent sense of Mexican national identity among the subjects of Spanish colonial rule.