Part I: Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition!

If I asked you what happened in the year 1492, you’d probably say: “Columbus discovered America.” But have you stopped to wonder why the Queen of Spain was financing expeditions to the West at that time? It wasn’t because some watery-eyed Italian named Columbus told her the world was round. Indeed, it is a tale of God, Glory and Gold … lots and lots of gold – and even MORE silver.

What’s more, mines that the Spanish discovered and worked in the New World are STILL being worked today. In fact, some of the most undervalued silver mines in the world are in Mexico, and still bear the marks of the Conquistadors. More on them in a bit.

So, Columbus shows up and Queen Isabel of Spain is ready to hock her jewels just to send him on his way, right? Not exactly. 1492 is ALSO the year that the Spanish finally kicked the Muslims out of Spain. Moorish Grenada surrendered that year, and King Ferdinand became his most Catholic Majesty of ALL Spain. And what a pain in the royal butt that was!

See, for 800 years, the Spanish had battled the Muslims. This holy war -- the Reconquista, or crusade to reconquer Spain from Islamic invaders -- was their entire reason for being. Centuries of constant fighting had created a pool of warriors born to the saddle and the sword and accustomed to booty. Their hearts burned with the wild religious fervor necessary for victory over the Moors. When in 1492 the last battles had finally been won, the soldiers of the Spanish Reconquista were suddenly unemployed. There were lots of holy warriors idling with nothing to do … but potentially plot rebellion.

The Spanish tried substituting other enemies for the Muslims. 1492 was also the year Torquemada, master of the Inquisition, engineered the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. But still, all these dangerous holy warriors were sitting around with too much time on their hands.

Spain needed a distraction … something for its holy warriors to focus their energy on. So when Columbus showed up and said he knew a shortcut to India, lightbulbs – if they’d had lightbulbs back then -- clicked on over the heads of Ferdinand and Isabella.

There were lots of pagans in India … enough to keep a horde of fanatics busy for a good, long time. And besides, India was rumored to be fabulously rich in gold. For a risk of three ships, the potential payoff was huge.

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