USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Most infamous of all was the expedition led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (c. 1510-1554) in 1540 to explore North America in search of Cibola, a legendary group of cities rumoured to be paved with gold.

Detailed explanation-2: -After subjugating the Aztec and Inca Empires, the Spanish began mining the ample gold and silver in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Over the next 300 years, Spain’s wealth grew as they plundered the resources of the Americas, transporting the goods back to Europe to fuel a global economy of trade.

Detailed explanation-3: -Gold was first discovered in California by James Marshall, who saw it in a river on his way to catch some boiling water. When he looked down, he saw gold flakes in the water.

Detailed explanation-4: -The gold was used by the Spanish monarchy to pay off its debts and also to fund its ‘religious’ wars. Therefore, gold started to trickle out to other European countries who benefited from the Spanish wealth.

Detailed explanation-5: -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.