Conquistadores

The Caribbean After Columbus

The Spanish were hard pressed to finance the exploration and colonization of the New World.� Their solution to use Conquistadores or conquerors to explore and exploit the new world.� The Conquistadores were given permission to settle territory and establish settlements.� In return they had to send one fifth of any gold or silver back to Spain.� The Conquistadores had to finance their own expeditions.� If the expeditions failed then they could lose everything.� While many of the Conquistadores undertook their voyages for the money, some did it from religious convictions and the opportunity to convert �heathens� to Christianity.� Spain was content for a many years to maintain this system; it allowed Spanish control over the New World to grow and the Spanish treasury to become swollen with gold and silver.

Mailing List