Colonial Spanish American

A vast area of the Americas stretching from what is now Florida to Northern California and south to Chile (excepting Brazil), and including many of the islands of the Caribbean. When the Spanish Crown learned of the promise of wealth offered by vast continents that had been previously unknown to Europeans, they sent forces to colonize the land, convert the Indigenous populations, and extract resources from their newly claimed territory. These new Spanish territories officially became known as viceroyalties, or lands ruled by viceroys who were second to—and a stand-in for—the Spanish king. Over time these possessions were reduced until Spain lost its last colonial American possessions during the Spanish American War.