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Difficulty: EasyEuropean Exploration and Spanish Conquest

Source: Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, Spanish historian and administrator, General and Natural History of the Indies, 1535

"Our Spaniards had a great desire to discover new lands and to find gold and other riches. But their primary purpose, and that of the Catholic Sovereigns who sent them, was to bring the knowledge of the Holy Catholic Faith to the native peoples of these lands, so that they might be saved."

Which of the following historical developments was a direct result of the motivations described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The widespread export of native American horses and wheat to satisfy European market demands.
  2. The Spanish conquest of major indigenous empires and the extraction of precious metals.Answer
  3. C
    The Spanish Crown's policy of granting outright land ownership to Native Americans to foster agricultural independence.
  4. D
    The unification of all North American tribes into a single political empire to organize trade with Spain.

Answer

The Spanish conquest of major indigenous empires and the extraction of precious metals.
The Spanish desire for wealth and the expansion of Catholic influence directly led to Spanish military conquests of major empires, such as the Aztecs and the Incas, and the establishment of an extractive colonial economy.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source to identify the core Spanish motivations for exploration.
The source identifies the search for gold and riches, alongside the goal of spreading the Catholic faith, as the primary drivers of Spanish colonization.
Understanding the main claim of the primary source allows us to link Spanish goals to actual historical outcomes.
2
Evaluate which historical development in the Americas was caused by these motivations.
The pursuit of wealth and religious conversion led directly to the conquest of major empires like the Aztecs and Incas, establishing a Spanish colonial empire centered on extraction.
This step connects the stated goals of the conquistadors and the Crown to their physical impacts on indigenous civilizations.

Key Concept

Motivations for European exploration and the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

European Exploration and Spanish Conquest

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