The history of the development of European empires in the Americas dates back to the early 16th century. Western Europe created vast colonial empires in the Americas. Among the various colonial empires, the Spanish and English were the most important and brought about a dramatic change in the natural and human environment in the Americas. Christopher Columbus' voyage in August 1492 marked the formal beginning of European entry into the Americas. As he arrived in the New World, Christopher Columbus was filled with immense ambition to colonize the islands and amass wealth. Both the English and the Spanish had more or less the same main reason in coming to the Americas. However, the English and Spanish empires differ largely in their approach to achieving their goals. The English and Spanish empires in the Americas differ largely in terms of their relationship with the natives. The treatment of the Spanish colonists was much harsher than that of the English. Encouraged by stories of gold lying in the west, the Spanish conquest focused only on collecting priceless treasures rather than building relationships with native settlers. Hernán Corté's (1485-1547) invasion of the Aztec empire with superior weapons aided by ferocious attack dogs represents the culmination of the brutality and harsh treatment of Aztec warriors who fought barefoot with stones, spears, and arrows. The Spanish were not at all tolerant of their unique identity and beliefs. On the other hand, the English were able to build a relatively closer relationship with the Native Americans. At the beginning the relationship was built on humanitarian foundations. The Indians helped the English adventurers with food and other necessities when they were transitioning to a completely new life in the Ne... middle of paper... the true faith in which all people must believe; while the Indians believed in the existence of God as a spiritual power that guided all human lives on earth and did not actually belong to any specific religion. (maybe I'm being more specific here because Christianity is technically a "spiritual power"). Hunting and farming were the main religion of the Indians. The colonists began to treat the natives differently than before, due to religion. Europeans and natives had issues regarding land and religious beliefs. Meanwhile, settlers began to claim private lands and asked the Indians to stay off the settlers' lands. This literally became the root cause of the war. Apart from the English and Spain, France and the Netherlands also showed immense interest in establishing their empire in the New World. Their first major settlement began in the early 17th century.