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Why Did The Spanish Came To The Americas

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Why Did The Spanish Came To The Americas
The Spanish came to the Americas not so much to colonize as to seek gold and glory. A decidedly secondary reason was to Christianize the Indians, although this was frequently overlooked, and demonstrated more by destroying Indian artifacts as "idolatry" than demonstrating Christian virtue. They had no intention of establishing permanent colonies other than to protect their gold and silver interests. Spain at the time was the poorest country in Europe, and gold and silver from its Empire was used not only to bolster the economy in Spain but also as a source of bullion for trade in Asia. In fact, the first successful settlement in North America, St. Augustine, Florida, was established to guard Spanish shipping against British privateers.

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