What caused Spanish colonization of the Southwest to begin in earnest in 1598?

The Spanish colonization of the American Southwest began in earnest in 1598 under the leadership of Juan de Oñate, who was commissioned to establish permanent settlements in the region.123

While earlier expeditions, such as that of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in 1540, had explored the area in search of the mythical Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola, they were largely exploratory and did not result in lasting occupation. The shift toward permanent colonization in 1598 was driven by several core Spanish objectives:23

• Extraction of Wealth: Despite the failure of earlier expeditions to find gold, the Spanish remained motivated by the hope of discovering precious metals and other riches in the North American interior.43
• Religious Conversion: A primary goal of the Spanish crown was the conversion of Indigenous peoples to Roman Catholicism.53
• Expansion of the Empire: Colonization served to transplant the Spanish feudal social order, including the encomienda system of forced labor, and to secure the northern frontier of New Spain against potential incursions by rival European powers.45