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Difficulty: EasyEuropean Exploration and Spanish Conquest

Bernal Díaz del Castillo, Spanish conquistador, *The True History of the Conquest of New Spain*, written in the late 1500s describing events in 1519:

"We came here to serve God and his Majesty, to give light to those who were in darkness, and to grow rich, as all men desire to do."

The passage best reflects which of the following primary motivations for Spanish exploration and conquest in the Americas?

  1. The dual desire to spread Christianity and acquire material wealthAnswer
  2. B
    The intention to establish the encomienda as a system of equal land distribution among Native Americans
  3. C
    The belief that all Indigenous societies in the Americas shared a single, homogenous culture and language
  4. D
    The plan to import American agricultural crops to Europe to prevent the spread of Old World diseases

Answer

The dual desire to spread Christianity and acquire material wealth
The correct answer accurately reflects the historical motivations of Spanish conquistadors as stated in the excerpt. Diaz del Castillo identifies 'serving God' and 'giving light' (religious conversion) along with 'growing rich' (economic accumulation) as the primary drivers of Spanish exploration and conquest.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus passage for key historical motives.
The passage highlights serving God and giving light to those in darkness (religious motivation) alongside the goal to grow rich (economic motivation).
This establishes the literal meaning of the source text.
2
Connect the literal meaning of the text to broader historical context.
These two goals correspond to the primary drivers of Spanish colonization: religious conversion (spreading Catholicism) and economic gain (finding gold, silver, and resources).
This links the primary source directly to the AP US History curriculum regarding European exploration motivations.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that accurately matches these motivations and avoid common misconceptions.
The option identifying the dual desire for religious conversion and wealth matches the text. The other options either misrepresent the encomienda system, Native American cultural diversity, or the nature of the Columbian Exchange.
This confirms the correct option while eliminating distractors.

Key Concept

Motivations for European exploration and conquest of the Americas, specifically the search for wealth (gold) and religious conversion (glory and God).
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

European Exploration and Spanish Conquest

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