"Spain in the age of exploration, 1492-1819 presents arts and science from one of the most ambitious, magnificent, and complex enterprises in history. The book charts the evolution of Spanish attitudes toward knowledge, exploration, and faith during three centuries of Spain's golden age, when a fervor for scientific and geographical knowledge coexisted with the expansion of empire and promotion of Christianity." "Organized chronologically, the volume's essays follow the theme of empire and image from the time of Columbus's first voyage of 1492 to Spain's ceding of some of its North American claims in 1819."--BOOK JACKET.