Every ship from the New World came freighted with marvels which put the fictions of chivalry to shame; and to the Spaniard of that day America was a region of wonder and mystery, of vague and magnificent promise. Thither adventurers hastened, thirsting for glory and for gold, and often mingling the enthusiasm of the crusader and the valor of the knight-errant with the bigotry of inquisitors and the rapacity of pirates. They roamed over land and sea; they climbed unknown mountains, surveyed unknown oceans, pierced the sultry intricacies of tropical forests; while from year to year and from day to day new wonders were unfolded, new islands and archipelagoes, new regions of gold and pearl, and barbaric empires of more than Oriental wealth. The extravagance of hope and the fever of adventure knew no bounds.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The passage portrays the Spanish conquest of America as driven by a mix of noble ideals and greedy ambition, fueled by tales of wealth.
- In plain terms
- Explorers went to America seeking gold and glory, mixing bravery with greed and religious zeal.
- What can you take from it?
- Great expeditions often mix noble goals with selfish desires.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What drives explorers?
- How do we view historical conquest?
Another view
It romanticizes the violence and exploitation involved in colonization.
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