How did Spain build an empire?

www.google.com/search?q=spanish+empire

Spain and the Roman Catholic church were both financed by gold from the new world. Conquistadors murdered people and stole boatloads of gold, and they gave 20% of it to the Spanish crown and 20% to the church. The church was rather prudent with the newfound wealth, but the crown went bonkers. In a hundred years or so all that gold was in some other country.