Question

Why is it said that the sun never set on the Spanish empire

Answer 1

The saying 'the sun never sets on the Spanish Empire' refers to the widespread territories the Spanish Empire controlled at its height, which meant that the sun was always shining on at least one part of it. The empire spanned several continents including Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Its decline involved internal conflicts, independence movements, and loss of colonies in wars.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phrase 'the sun never sets on the Spanish Empire' is often associated with the vast territorial holdings and the immense geographical span of certain empires, such that at any given moment, the sun was always shining on at least one part of the territory. In the case of the Spanish Empire, during its zenith in the 16th and 17th centuries, the empire's territories were spread across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa which meant that the empire experienced daylight somewhere in its territories at all times. While the term is more often affiliated with the British Empire, the Spanish Empire at its peak also held a vast number of territories around the globe, contributing to this idea of perpetual daylight over Spanish dominions.

Spain's expansive reach began after the unification of the crown with the marriage of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castille. They funded Christopher Columbus' voyage leading to the European discovery of the Americas. The Spanish conquests brought immense wealth through gold and silver, established control over indigenous populations often through violent means, and spread Catholicism throughout their colonies. This era of Spanish colonialism, however, was also marked by internal strife, such as ethnic and regional conflicts between the Spanish and the indigenous populations, for instance with the use of quipus for record-keeping which the Spanish initially did not trust. The decline of the empire was further expedited by the loss of territories and the independence movements across Latin America, and later the loss of the last significant colonies like the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico to the United States after the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Answer 2

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

it as said that the sun never set on the Spanish empire because the Spanish Empire was so vast that the Sun always shined in some part of its territories. For instance, the Spanish territories encompassed large portions of land, from what today is New Mexico or California, all through the modern-day Mexican Republic (New Spain), Central America, and most of South America.