1. Economic Motives
2.Religious Proselytizing
3.Prestige
Explanation:
1. The primary motives of European explorers were economic. The supply of precious metals was finite, and monarchs hoped to find large deposits of gold and silver in the Americas. Aside from the possibility of treasure, the European governments aimed to find a passage through the Americas to Asia. Their hope was for a faster, safer trip to the Indies, avoiding dangerous waters and marauding pirates. Sailing west to reach the Indies also would avoid Arab middlemen in trade, meaning the merchants would have paid far less in trade costs. The discovery of new peoples also opened up the possibilities for an entirely new trading sphere.
2. The European explorers of the 16th century were primarily Christian. These individuals and their sponsors in Europe were concerned with spreading Christianity to the indigenous peoples of the New World. These Europeans believed that it was their responsibility to minister to the uneducated "savages" they encountered. Spanish adventurer Hernan Cortes, also known as Hernando Cortes, was among the explorers who felt it was his duty to bring others into the fold of the Catholic church.
3. Much like modern countries, nations in 16th century Europe sought to be first or best at every endeavor. Each European state wanted to be the first to explore, discover or bring items back from new and exotic places. If a country discovered a new route to the Far East, that nation also would control trade through that route. This would result not only in monetary gain, but also in the power and prestige of being the ruler of the area.
