Spanish and Portuguese colonization in the Americas from 1492 to 1800 were similar in that

both countries colonized in a way to make settling down easier, eventually resulting in more
profits, and different in that the Spanish incorporated religion into colonization more than the
Portuguese.
Spain and Portugal were similar in many different aspects since they are both located on the
Iberian Peninsula, thus collectively they were called Iberians. The Iberian model was used in
many colonies. The Spanish and Portuguese were heavily urban, the people living in many towns
and villages. Colonies in Americas were built to resemble those back in Spain and Portugal and
were modeled using Roman plans of grids as well. Living conditions were made to be as
comfortable as possible for incoming settlers. The Iberian Peninsula had a tradition of slavery, so
Native Americans were used for slave labor in the Americas. This was a way to get more people
to come settle in the American colonies.
The system was especially useful for Spain since the crown received one-fifth of the profit
made in the Americas. It was a good deal for both sides: settlers could come to a place that was
just like home, only they had more power and could make money. Meanwhile the crown gained
more wealth when more people went overseas to start some trade or production. The Spanish
were very strong-willed and proud, which also was a factor in the Spaniards many expeditions.
Ultimately, much of Spains colonial profits came from mining the Americas silver heart.
The Portuguese colonies in Brazil were originally there just for the dyewood trees. Once the
lands had been cleared, a new system of settlement was used, leading to the founding of sugar
plantations. For almost a whole century, Brazil stood as the worlds leading producer of sugar.
Once their sugar industry started declining, backwoods men called Paulistas discovered gold in
mountains and started a gold rush that would eventually lead to the discovery of diamonds.

When colonizing the Americas, Spain had much missionary zeal. Missionaries from religious
orders like the Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits were sent to convert the natives. One of the
Spaniards reasons to continue conquering and colonizing was to carry out the popes decree that
the faith should be spread to the new lands. However, in converting the Native Americans, the
Spanish were often cruel in their treatment. People such as Sepulveda encouraged the treatment,
saying that some people were born to serve. Others such as Father de la Casas argued that the
natives were their brothers and that their culture had much to offer.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese did not really care about religion in the Americas. Some Jesuits
were sent from Portugal, but even then there was not much land to convert. The Portuguese were
restricted by the Treaty of Tordesillas and could only stay within Brazil and the surrounding
areas. Their main goal was to establish good trade. The goal of the Spaniards was to make profits
as well as colonize. Even though Portugal did incorporate some religion, it was not on the same
level of enthusiasm as Spains.
Religion played more of a part in Spanish colonization than the Portuguese because state and
church were extremely close in Spain. This is mostly due to the fact that Spain reconquered its
land from Muslims. Religion had such a strong presence in Spain that religious officials
practically had their own branch in the government. Many Spaniards were okay with the cruel
conversion of Native Americans just because the pope allowed it. When it came to the colonies,
there was a certain point when government officials were sent to go govern a town. When these
officials were sent overseas, they were also accompanied by some religious figures. Even before
that, one of the focal points of Spanish building plans was a large church within the town.