Anti-Mexican sentiment is an attitude towards people of Mexican descent, Mexican culture and/or Mexican Spanish and is most commonly found in the United States. Its origins in the United States date back to the Mexican and American Wars of Independence and the struggle over the disputed Southwestern territories. That eventually would lead to the Mexican–American War in which the defeat of Mexico caused a great loss of territory. In the 20th century, anti-Mexican sentiment continued to grow after the Zimmermann Telegram, an incident between the Mexican government and the German Empire during World War I.