What are the Three G's of Spanish Conquistadors?

• A. God, Gold, Glory
• B. Gold, God, Gospel
• C. Gold, Glory, Gospel
• D. Glory, Gold, God

Answer: (C)

Motivations of the Spanish conquistadors were commonly framed as wealth, fame, and spreading Christianity. Gold represents the lure of riches from the New World, especially treasure and valuable resources. Glory points to the desire for prestige, territorial expansion, and personal or national reputation gained through conquest. Gospel, or the missionary mission to convert Indigenous peoples to Catholicism, explains the religious justification often used to accompany exploration and colonization. This combination—wealth, prestige, and religious mission—best captures the multifaceted motives behind Spain’s imperial projects, which is why that option is the right one. Other formulations replace or swap terms like Gospel for God, but the idea remains the same: economic gain, imperial prestige, and religious expansion drove the conquests.