Answer:
D. To protect its claim on New World wealth and gold.
Step-by-step explanation:
Spain set up colonies in New World after Christopher Columbus discovered it in 1492. After the discovery of the New World, Spain sends conquistadors and soldiers in search of gold and riches. Spanish found mines in Bolivia, Mexico, and Peru of gold and silver. Founding gold and silver encouraged Spanish setters to settle here to bring wealth to their empire to fill a coffer.