What was the Spanish Purpose for exploring North America?

Question

HEEEEEEEEEEELP ME!

Answer 1

1. Gold.

2. A mission for the conquistadores.  (After they'd

reconquered Spain from Islam, the military tradition remained, so they needed a mission.)

3. Convert the natives.  Catholics then sincerely thought if people didn't become Catholic, they were damned to Hades.  (Not as successful as the Catholic church hoped - witness that Christianity exists side-by-side with voodoo,santaria...In parts of South America, some people will go on Sundays to mass (a God who loves them), then services for Tio ( a God they fear).  Every once in a while, there are calls for massive evangelization of Latin America.

Answer 2

Gold, land and the converting of the natives to Catholicism

Answer 3

Their main purpose was to obtain oro (gold).

And, of course, Ponce De Leon was looking for the mythical "Fountain of Youth".