The Impact Of Spanish Colonization

In the early years of colonization from the English, French, and Spanish into the American continent, it is the Spanish who made the largest initial impact. In the beginning Spaniards looked to the New World as an area for empire building (Calloway, 2012). Missions were to convert/conform the indigenous population to Christianity and servitude to the Spanish empire, while increasing imports and exports of trade goods that would increase the power and wealth of the Spanish Monarchy. As time went by the warmongering, and greed stricken Spaniards looked more towards total conquest and servitude of the local populace and continued expeditions’ for wealth and fame. They relied on a combination of military superiority, occasional diplomacy, luck — and their greatest ally, disease (Walbert 2007).
An example would be Juan Ponce de León the first Spaniard explorer to Florida, who sailed off the coast of Florida in 1513, and to whom initially meant to enslave the Calusa Natives in the immediate goal. Unlikely were his thoughts oriented to the fact that they already were of the opinion that he was there to invade their territory, and were ready to retaliate early on. As a result, the Calusa attacked and repelled the Spanish and then eight years later Juan Ponce de León died after battle with the natives when trying to colonize in the Calusa territory again (Calloway,