Final answer:
By the mid-1500s, the Spanish Empire had grown significantly, including territories in the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, the Andes, the Far East, and parts of what is now the United States. The empire faced challenges managing these distant territories due to the communication and administration difficulties posed by the vast distances involved. Its rapid expansion was fueled by the quest for wealth, the spread of Catholicism, and the ambition to control global trade, notably through silver mining.
Step-by-step explanation:
The size and scope of the Spanish Empire in the mid-1500s extended across various parts of the world, following the period after Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas in 1492. By this time, Spain had established a massive hemispheric empire that included vast regions of the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, and the Andes. They also expanded to the Philippines in the Far East and had territories in what is now the United States. The Spanish-American mines produced silver that inadvertently became a global currency, enriching treasuries in Europe and China during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Establishment and administration of these new territories faced significant obstacles due to the great distance and time required for communication and governance across the Atlantic. Structures of colonial administration and policies were greatly influenced by the need to manage these expansive holdings. The Spanish envisioned a society where Catholicism flourished, hierarchies were clear, and wealth accumulated through resources such as gold and silver. However, this expansion also brought challenges, including the spread of European diseases that caused significant loss of life among native populations.
The years following the conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires were marked by exploration and the establishment of colonial bureaucracies to manage labor and the well-being of indigenous peoples. By the mid-1500s, the merging of the Spanish and Portuguese crowns under Charles V further extended control over the colonies, although this grand empire also brought complexities in European politics and aristocratic alliances.