Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest focuses on specific historical myths surrounding the Spanish Conquest, a phenomenon that grew out of the European Age of Encounters (formerly called the Age of Discovery). During the early modern period (ca. 1500-1700), European kingdoms sponsored missions of exploration of the world outside of Europe that soon turned into missions of conquest, birthing global European empires. At its height, the Spanish empire included large portions of the Americas.

It was the Portuguese, however, who began these ambitious expeditions. During the course of the 15th century, they began exploring the islands of the Atlantic and the West African coast, establishing colonies of sugar plantations on islands like the Canaries. The Portuguese also sought a direct sea route from Europe to Asia so that they could better control the importation of eastern goods, particularly valuable spices. Discovery of this route in the late 1400s allowed the Portuguese to undercut the role of Islamic traders in the eastern spice trade. Merchants from Europe no longer had to do business in the markets of Cairo with these intermediaries but could go directly to the source of significant profits.

As Restall points out, the above historical

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