2. Gilded accents. After winning the war, France implemented Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph of Austria as Mexico's Emperor — Emperor Maximilian I. The former Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian Navy, Emperor Maximilian abandoned his duties and his country for the prospect of ruling over exotic, faraway Mexico. Upon arriving in Veracruz with his family, he immediately started implementing new designs in Mexico. His palace, Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, was redone with traditional French baroque features, including a fair amount of gold gilded accents. Here, gilded gold frames and trim accent a bright red room with tiled floors — a great example of how Mexican and French elements can be combined in decor.