Spanish Explorers Motivation free essay sample

The Spanish explorers were noble men who traveled across the sea’s to explore new land and new areas. In this case, the Spanish explorers were Christopher Columbus and Hernan Cortez, both of which are from Spain, and lived in the late 1400’s and early 1500’s. The reason Columbus and Cortez are so important in our history is because without them Central and South America would be so different today. Due to their huge impact on the Americas, it is important to understand why they even traveled their to begin with. Although some think they traveled out of curiosity, the Spanish explorers were motivated to leave home and conquer the Americas because of riches and possessions, obtaining new land for Spain, and to spread the religion of Christianity. A huge factor that motivated Spanish explorers to journey to the Americas were riches and possessions. â€Å"I shall make you in a very short time the richest of all men who have crossed the seas,† said Cortez, who was persuading his men to join him on the journey. We will write a custom essay sample on Spanish Explorers Motivation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Apparently, the riches and possessions were too much for Cortez’s men to pass up, considering the fact that his crew did travel to the Americas. Money and riches did play a big role in motivating Cortez and his crew. However, it wasn’t just Cortez. Columbus said, in a letter to the King and Queen of Spain, â€Å"It was my wish to bypass no island without taking possessions. † From this statement, we can infer that the â€Å"possessions,† that Columbus gathered from neighboring islands was a motivating factor on him traveling to the Americas, and the King and Queen of Spain funding his journey. As you can see, the people of Spain were determined to believe that there were great treasures in store for them in the Americas. However, there were only a few men who were brave enough to give up everything and go. Riches and treasures had a large impact on motivating Spanish explorers to travel to the Americas. Another issue that gave Spanish explorers motivation to travel was to obtain new land for Spain. At the time, Europe was very crowded (It still is today). So, why not go out seeking for new land? Now, that’s exactly what they did. â€Å"I discovered many islands inhabited by numerous people. I took possession of all of them,† said Columbus. The fact that Columbus took over the islands shows that the idea of doing so was premeditated. If not, why would he bother to take over? He would just return to Spain anyways. Another piece of evidence shows that land was a primary resource for the Spanish explorers in the piece of art titled, â€Å"Landing of Christopher Columbus in America. † In this picture, you see a boat containing Spanish explorers (with a man who appears to be Christopher Columbus standing up with his arms spread to his side clearly showing his power and dominance) approaching a shore full of native Americans. If you look closely, you can see the men on the boat looking at the land with lustful eyes, in other words, they cannot wait to call it their own. To sum this all up, the Spanish really needed and wanted new land, it may have been just Columbus, or maybe Cortez too, but, you can clearly see that land played a big role on their motivation to travel to the Americas. Finally, the Spanish explorers really felt the need to spread their religion of Christianity to anyone and everyone, so that was a big motivating factor also. In a conversation between Spaniards and Indians, the Spaniards said, â€Å"We ask that you acknowledge the Christian church as the ruler and superior of the whole world. This statement shows how important the Christian church is to the Spaniards, and how it isn’t just a coincidence that they’re preaching to the native Americans. The Spaniards believed that they were told by their Christian God to go and spread their religion to the people of the Americas. Another piece of evidence that proves this is a piece of art titled â€Å"The first landing of Columbus in the New World. † In this picture, it shows Spanish ships arriving an shore of an island, and they are all on their knees praying. Their is also a Christian preacher who is standing and organizing the whole thing. This picture shows us that the Spaniards Christian God motivated them to travel to the Americas so much, that soon as they arrived, they instantly dropped to their knees and began to pray. Showing their true devotion to their church and God. Spreading of their religion was also a big factor on motivating the Spanish to travel to the Americas, due to the fact, that they tried to convert the natives, and they prayed when they arrived on the island. In conclusion, the Spanish explorers were clearly motivated to travel to the Americas, whether it be for the riches and possessions, obtaining new land, or to spread the Christian religion. Without motivation, the Spaniards may have never traveled to the Americas, and That would make life today so much different. For example, southern countries wouldn’t be dominated by the Christian faith and probably wouldn’t speak Spanish either. Even though some people thought the explorers traveled out of curiosity, they were all extremely motivated to leave their lives in Spain and travel to the Americas due to riches and treasures, obtaining new Spanish land, and to spread the religion of Christianity.