Why did European male settlers often marry Indigenous women in early colonial Argentina?

In the early colonial period of Argentina, European male settlers frequently married Indigenous women primarily because there were very few Spanish women among the initial waves of settlers.12

This demographic imbalance necessitated the formation of unions with local Indigenous populations, which contributed to the development of a mestizo (mixed-race) population in the region. While Spanish women eventually arrived in colonial society—often brought from Spain to marry local associates—they were initially a small minority, and their numbers only reached parity with men after several generations.345