Why Did Spain Want To Colonize America

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In 1492 Spain sponsored Christopher Columbus in his effort to find a new route to China. Though his expedition failed to find a new trade route to Asia, but it did locate a continent that they had no prior knowledge of. With the “discovery” of this new continent many European powers rushed to colonize the New World and exploit its natural resources and people. In the end only Spain and England left lasting marks with their colonization of America. The Spanish and the British wanted to colonize in America for a lot of the same reasons, such as natural resources and to expand their countries empires, but the two differed on many things such as the treatment of indigenous people and religion. The Spanish were the first to colonize America in