With explorer Christopher Columbus's voyages to the New World, Spain became a major power in South and Central America. After establishing bases in these areas, it tried to expand into what is now the United States. The first volume in the comprehensive ""Latino-American History"" series, ""The Spanish Conquest of America: Prehistory to 1775"" chronicles early explorations in the Western Hemisphere, the founding of the first European colony in the United States, Spain's expansion into southern and southwest regions, conflicts with Great Britain and France, and the founding of the famous missions of California.