The great geographical discoveries of the 15th and 16th centuries inaugurated the ascension of Europe as the catalyst behind the development of the modern world, helped spread Christianity on a global scale and led to the formation of the first colonial empires, namely those of Spain and Portugal. Between 1450 and 1550 several naval expeditions were organized at the orders of the kings of Spain and Portugal. These expeditions resulted in significant discoveries on the part of European explorers: America, central and south Africa, the shoreline of India, South-East Asia and the Far East. These expeditions were planned and organized efforts, based on strong resources of human energy and material support. The main incentives behind these discoveries were the spread of Christianity - by force where necessary, the need for gold, spices, silk and other precious resources that were not available in Spain or Portugal, as well as the search for glory and a spirit of adventure. Until the beginning of the 17th century, the Portuguese and Castilian outward empires had no competitors in Europe. The 1800s saw the ascension of the Dutch and English colonies and later that of the French (Payne: Chp10).
             The 16th century saw Spain and Portugal competing for territories in the Americas. Nevertheless, it is important to note that their methods of exploration and conquest were very different; it is precisely these differences in their approaches that have shaped post-colonial world history. The thesis of this paper is to illustrate that although the Spanish colonial empire was very large as far as total surface, it was Portugal that represented the greatest naval power with world-wide long-lasting impact.
             The Hispanic peoples were the most prepared for expansion thanks to their politics of reconquest that had driven them to think in terms of warfare and crusading always attempting to push the boundaries of Latin Christendom in their search for gl...