One of the principal reasons for exploration was the urge to find new routes to East Asia. In the 1400s, merchants had brought many goods to Europe from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The products' demand raised the desire for commerce. European countries were mainly interested in spices from Asia. They had learned how to use spices and to conserve food during the winter. Thus, Christopher Columbus navigated west across the Atlantic Ocean, and he was looking for such a way to Asia. Instead of the Indies, he had landed in the Americas. Columbus believed he arrived the Indies. In this period, Europeans would realize that he had found what they called the "New World." European countries promptly rushed to allege lands in the Americas.
Spain was interested in the God, gold, and glory. Cortes was the first of Spanish people exploring for wealth, adventure, and grandeur. Religion was something that gave Spain the motive to explore the New World. In his journal (1451-1506), Columbus requested the permission to his highnesses to promote the holy faith and convert the Native Americans. It was one of the evidences that convinced the Catholic Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain to finance Christopher Columbus' journey. They entered the territory known as the United States through Florida and established a vast empire in North and South America. They spread Spain's culture by colonizing the New World, frequently at their expense. Captivating tales like that of the Fountain of Youth, often told to the Spaniards by arrested Indians and slaves, stimulated these adventurers to attempt regularly to conquer the land, as well as its native communities.
The English explorers were fascinated by the passion for colonizing and increasing the British Empire. In 1497, the England Expedition to the New World sponsored by Henry VII and that was headed by John Cabot explored a part of North America; they reported an abundance of fish.
