Causes Of Spanish Colonization From 1492 To 1700

The New World belonged to the indigenous people, the Native Americans before the land was known as The New World. As the Spanish looked to expand during the 1600’s, they set eyes on this new territory and would later need the Natives and Africans to fulfill their needs. The Spanish colonization from 1492 to 1700 was motivated by economics and religion that had a significant impact on the lives of Native Americans and Africans. The Spanish colonization from 1492 to 1700 was motivated by economics, which had a significant impact on the lives of Native Americans and Africans. The Spanish were in desire need to find new trade routes for riches such as gold and silver. An Italian, Christopher Columbus, set sail in 1492 in search of finding …show more content…
Pope Alexander VI had plans to rid all religions other than Christianity. He formed the Reconquista in attempts to rid Muslims and convert the Jews; his people proved their loyalty to his request. Spanish became the only nation the Pope chose to spread Catholicism overseas. He heard about the discovery of the New World, founded by one of his men, Christopher Columbus, and took initiative to grant the Castilian Queen Isabella from Spain, and the Aragonese King Ferdinand from Rome, The Doctrine of Discovery. According to The Doctrine of Discovery 1493, this papal order had three tasks: granting the right to colonize to Spain, ordering the conversion of the native people to Christianity, and clearly drawing a line that marks Spanish territory, which was known as the Treaty of Tordesillas. According to Christopher Columbus’s journal, written in 1492, he says about the Natives, “...and I believe that they would easily be made Christians, as it appeared to me that they had no religion.” The Spanish protection and support of the Pope made the conversation seem to be an easy task. However, when the Europeans got to America attempting to spread Christianity, they got a sense that the Natives were not all what Columbus described. According to an original source: Bartholeme de Las Casa, Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies, he says the missionaries say, “...the religious are unable to go everywhere to visit them; moreover, the Indians began to flee for the purpose of preventing interference with their manner and custom of life, and securing better opportunities to assault, rob, and kill both Spaniards and peaceful Indians…” The Spanish believed the natives thought highly of the Europeans, “They are very clean in their persons, with alert, intelligent minds, docile and open to doctrine, very apt to