What were the main reasons Spain created colonies in the New World?

Answer 1

There were a lot of different reasons Spain began colonizing the New World, but some people sum them up with the "3 G's": God, Glory and Gold. After Christopher Columbus (known to the Spanish as Cristobal Colón) landed in the New world and came back reporting large populations of non-Christians, the devout Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, decided it was their duty to do something about it. After subsequent expeditions, the non-Christian population of the New World quickly decreased. Mostly because of the smallpox and measles the Spanish brought with them, but religious conversion was still a large effort nonetheless.

Of course the glory of having so much territory under one's control was quite addictive. The Spanish set up a number of colonies in North and South America, as well as island nations such as Cuba, The Philippines, Hispaniola, etc. These territories allowed the throne to reap large sums from plantation work and trans-Atlantic trade.

Gold was a large factor in that trade. The Spanish used many natives, Africans, and people of mixed heritage to work their gold and silver mines. But even though much of these precious metals was brought across the ocean, little of it stayed in Spain. The monarchs used much of the bullion to pay off debts or to fund expensive foreign wars. Wasteful spending plagued the monarchy for hundreds of years, causing a huge decrease in their worldly power and allowing for colonies to revolt and become their own nations by the early 19th century.