I disagree. The Spanish went to colonize the world in order to open trade routes and gain access to spices and find gold. The ambition was political and economic.
No — if you read what Isabella and Ferdinand wanted to do, the primary reason was going after the Muslimes. Later generations yes went after the gold. The initial aim right from Henry the Navigator of Portugal was anti-Islamic. Vasco de Gama and the other Portuguese attacked Muslime concerns in E Africa, the Arabian peninsula and W. India