Return of Columbus by Delacroix

Once Columbus had returned from what he called the West Indies, the purpose of his and subsequent voyages had greatly changed.  In addition to the concern over trade routes, the Spaniards were concerned with the spread of Islam, especially in the Ottoman Empire.  Therefore, the spread of Christianity became the battle cry and justification for Spanish conquest of the Americas.  It was through this religious legitimacy that Spain gained Papal support for their conquest.  The "discovery" of a new territory was somewhat troublesome for the Spaniards.  They had to determine how to rule lands far away and utterly foreign to them.  The decision was to send members of the Franciscan, Domincan, and Augustinian orders to convert the pagans.  For this reason religious architecture is prominent throughout the Spanish colonies.