Why were the Spanish able to conquer and colonize the Americas?

Many
historians interpretations of Spanish New World imperialism traditionally identified conquest
and colonization as two distinct processes, with conquest having been completed first. More
recent ethnohistorical and archaeological investigations have shown that both processes worked
together and, in many parts of the Americas, conquest in terms of military defeat was not a
significant part of the Spanish strategy.

In terms of military engagements,
conflicting cultural visions of battle were one significant factor that contributed to many
initial Spanish victories. Because the Spaniards were newcomers, they were unfamiliar with the
cultural norms of armed conflict that predominated in most parts of the Americas. Warfare had a
strongly ritualized component, and the rules of engagement included such features as auspicious
times to conduct battle, taking and enslaving of prisoners who would later be exchanged, and
ceasing combat after a fixed period of...