United States History Student Edition

This freed Spain’s monarchs to focus on other goals. The Spanish looked with envy on the seafaring successes of neighboring Portugal. They, too, wanted the riches from trade with Asia. Spain’s monarchs—King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella—agreed to support Columbus’s expedition. They hoped Spain would become wealthy from trade. They also saw Columbus’s voyage as an opportunity to spread Christianity. Columbus promised to bring Christianity to Asia and to convert those who lived there. This was especially important to Queen Isabella, who was a devout Catholic. On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail with three ships: the Niña , the Pinta , and the Santa María . After weeks at sea, a lookout spotted a small island in the chain now called the Bahamas. Columbus went ashore and claimed the island for Spain. Although he did not know it, Columbus had reached the Americas. He believed that he had arrived in the Indies—the islands off the coast of China. This explains why he called the local people “Indians.” It also explains why today we call the island chain where he landed “the West Indies.” When Columbus returned to Spain, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella received him with great honor. They gave him the title Admiral of the Ocean Sea and provided funds for future voyages. Columbus made three more voyages for Spain, in 1493, 1498, and 1502. He explored the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola, Cuba, and Jamaica. He also sailed along the coasts of Central America and northern South America. Despite the peoples already living there, he claimed these lands for Spain and started settlements. Spain went on to explore most of the Caribbean and to establish the As news of Columbus’s first voyage spread, Spain and Portugal moved quickly to protect land claims in the Americas. They turned to Pope Alexander VI for help. In 1493, he ordered that a line of demarcation be drawn—an imaginary line that reached from the North Pole to the South Pole and cut through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Spain was to control all lands west of the line, and Portugal would control all lands east of the line. Portugal objected, saying that the division gave more land to Spain. In 1494, the two countries signed the Treaty of Tordesillas (tohr•day•SEE•yuhs), which moved the line farther west. The two Spanish Empire in the Americas. Dividing the Americas

countries divided and claimed all these lands for themselves, with little regard for the peoples and cultures who already inhabited those lands. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Explaining What did Spain have to gain by supporting Columbus and his voyages? The Spanish in the Americas GUIDING QUESTION What were the goals of early Spanish explorers? Spanish leaders’ reasons for sponsoring sea explorations included a desire for trade goods, land, and riches, as well as to spread Christianity. Columbus’s voyages to the west demonstrated that there were lands to conquer and people to convert in those lands. Also, the native people Columbus encountered possessed small amounts of gold. As a result, Spanish authorities offered contracts for more journeys to the Americas.

This modern illustration shows the Santa María , Columbus's lead ship, or flagship. It was the largest of the three ships he set sail with on his first voyage, but it was the slowest. The Niña and the Pinta were smaller, faster caravels.

demonstrated showed clearly

Michael Rosskothen/Shutterstock

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Exploration and Colonization