[Right_Wing_Madman]

More like 1,000 years. The Spaniards and the Portuguese colonized the New World after the Reconquista.

The Spanish exceeded Roman capabilities in shipbuilding and blue water navigation, but they couldn't build stuff like the Romans did.

The Romans built a canal from the Nile River to the Red Sea (with locks!), connecting a sea route from Rome to Persia and India. The Spanish could never do that. That's one the reasons Spain sought a new route to India.

[MinorityRepublican]

The Spanish exceeded Roman capabilities in shipbuilding and blue water navigation, but they couldn't build stuff like the Romans did.

They were both good at colonization. But ultimately, the Romans were superior builders and they were more civilized.