We study the basic properties of the Maxwell equations for nonlinear inhomogeneous media. Assuming the classical nonlinear optics representation for the nonlinear polarization as a power series, we show that the solution exists and is unique in an appropriate space if the excitation current is not too large. The solution to the nonlinear Maxwell equations is represented as a power series in terms of the solution of the corresponding linear Maxwell equations. This representation holds at least for the time period inversely proportional to the appropriate norm of the solution to the linear Maxwell equation. We derive recursive formulas for the terms of the power series for the solution including an explicit formula for the first significant term attributed to the nonlinearity.