USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Conquistadors. Soon after Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492, the Spanish began to hear stories of civilizations with immense riches. Hoping to claim this wealth and territory for Spain and themselves, conquistadors, or “conquerors, ” sailed across the Atlantic Ocean.

Detailed explanation-2: -Motivations for colonization: Spain’s colonization goals were to extract gold and silver from the Americas, to stimulate the Spanish economy and make Spain a more powerful country. Spain also aimed to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

Detailed explanation-3: -By 1600, Spain had reaped substantial monetary benefits from New World resources. Gold and silver began to connect European nations through trade, and the Spanish money supply ballooned, which signified the beginning of the economic system known as capitalism.

Detailed explanation-4: -By 1550 Spain had dominion over the West Indies and Central America and its large surviving native population. New World mines yielded gold and silver for Spain in far greater amounts than France and Portugal had ever been able to extract from West Africa.