Question

Question refers to the excerpt below.

"Throughout all that country, wherever it is mountainous, we saw many signs of gold, antimony, iron, copper and other metals. Where the permanent houses are it is so hot that even in January the air is very warm … The Indians who live in permanent houses and those in the rear of them pay no attention to gold nor silver, nor have they any use for either of these metals."—The Journey of Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, 1527–1537 Exploration in Southwest California & Mexico

The details of reports such as Cabeza de Vaca's led to which of the following?

Limits on future voyages to explore lands of the Western Hemisphere as they were too dangerous
Prioritization of spreading the Catholic faith over pursuing economic gains for Spain
The belief that expansion in the Americas would lead to an increase in Spanish wealth and power
Weakening of investments in European conquests in favor of Western Hemisphere conquests

Answer 1

The details of reports such as Cabeza de Vaca's led to the belief that expansion in the Americas would lead to an increase in Spanish wealth and power.

Step-by-step explanation:

Cabeza de Vaca's reports on the abundance of metals in the land were a driving force behind the Spanish Empire's interest in colonizing and exploiting the resources of the Americas. This led to the establishment of colonies throughout the region and the forced labor of Indigenous peoples to extract resources such as gold and silver. The emphasis was on economic gain, rather than the spread of the Catholic faith, which was also a significant motivation for Spanish expansion but was not directly related to the reports of abundant resources.

Answer 2

Answer: the belief that expansion in the Americas would lead to an increase in Spanish wealth and power.

Explanation: Cabeza de Vaca's accounts delineate the prodigious affluence of pristine resources, comprising of gold, that were present within the regions that were investigated. The aforementioned reports elicited a surge of Spanish explorers and conquistadors who were inclined to capitalize on the available resources and extend Spanish sway in the Americas. Consequently, indigenes and their territories were colonized and subjected to exploitation. The alternative choices that have been presented stand unsubstantiated in the given excerpt.