<P> Beginning with the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean and continuing control of vast territory for over three centuries , the Spanish Empire would expand across the Caribbean Islands , half of South America , most of Central America and much of North America ( including present day Mexico , Florida and the Southwestern and Pacific Coastal regions of the United States ) . It is estimated that during the colonial period ( 1492 -- 1832 ) , a total of 1.86 million Spaniards settled in the Americas and a further 3.5 million immigrated during the post-colonial era ( 1850 -- 1950 ) ; the estimate is 250,000 in the 16th century , and most during the 18th century as immigration was encouraged by the new Bourbon Dynasty . </P>
who made the first spanish landing on the mainland of north america
Christopher Columbus