23. Setting the Scene
The colony that Columbus founded on Hispaniola was by this point, well and truely up and running. While it only occupied a tiny part of what would become Spanish America, the foundations for empire were being laid. Today we take a step back from the story and examine what these foundations looked like. There were three things that would have a profound impact on the Spanish empire, the Treaty of Tordesillas, the conquistador model of conquest, and the competing motivations of the various Spanish actors. This episode examines them all.
