r to the exploration of the entire continent for its riches and the many different peoples that inhabit it. The wealth that was generated by the Spanish conquests was enormous. This wealth and the trade it generated within Europe was the backbone around whichCapitalism was built. The Spanish quest for gold and wealth took on a religious connotation. Columbus put it, “Gold is most excellent; gold constitutes treasure and he who has it does all he wants in the world, can even lifts souls up to paradise” . His quest for gold and exploration took on religious aspects. It was a major contributor in the motivation of Spanish conquest.Another very important factor is Europe’s readiness to embrace a new continent, was the nature of their religious beliefs. They believed that their religion rationalized conquest. After Spanish discovery of New Lands they would read aloud a passage, which has come to be called “The Requirement”. Here is a short excerpt from one such writing. “I implore you to recognize the church as a lady and in the name if the Pope take the King as Lord of this land and obey his mandates. If you do not do it, I tell you that with the help of God I will enter powerfully against you all.” This served as a means by which to satisfy their consciences by offering the Indians a chance to convert to Christianity, after that the Spaniards felt justified in any action against the natives. To say it was totally their religion that motivated them would be a fallacy. European imaginations played an important role in the developments leading up to the discovery by Columbus (Discovering Columbus p.17). The importance of areas that could be used for the expansion of the church was futile. The new area was prime for mission work. The conversion of the natives, the theoretical justification for the Iberian presence in the Indies, was the churches first priority was one of the first priorities. The fact ...
