What were the reasons of the Spanish expansion ?
Local chieftains were enlisted to exlplore new lands and, hopefully, more sources of gold. The greed for gold led to violent incidents provoking local resistance. The spanish friar Bartolome de las Casas, the most severe critic of the Spanish conquerors, observed that the Spanish often tested their swords on the naked flesh of the Arawaks.
2. The military repression and forced labour was added the ravages of disease. The diseases of the Old World, particularly smallpox wreaked havoc on the Arawaks whose lack of immunity resulted in large-scale deaths.
The local people imagined these diseases were caused by 'invisible bullets' with which the Spaniards attacked them. The extinction of the Arawaks and all traces of their way of life is a silent reminder of their tragic encounter with Spaniards.
3. The expeditions of Columbus were followed by a sustained and successful exploration of Central and South America. Within half of century, the Spanish had explored and laid claim to a vast area of the western hemisphere, from approximately latitudes 40 degrees north to 40 degrees south, without anyone challenging them.
4. Before this, the Spanish conquered lands of two great empires of the region. This was largely the work of two individuals : Hernan Cortes (1488 –1547) and Francisco Pizarro (1478-1541). Their explorations were financed by members of the landed gentry in Spain, officials of municipal councils and noblemen.
Those joining the expditions supplied their own equipment in exchange for a share of the booty they expected from the conquests.
