Which best describes Spanish colonizing activities in the areas of North America that would eventually become part of the United States? Group of answer choices Ultimately, hundreds of thousands of colonists from Spain settled in areas such as Florida, New Mexico, and California, where they produced valuable trade goods that could be shipped to Europe. Although numerous expeditions explored the continent's interior, the failure to find gold or silver dampened enthusiasm for establishing a more robust presence and the Spanish established relatively few major outposts. By the terms of treaties signed with rival European powers, Spain was barred from colonizing territory north of its holdings in present-day Mexico. Focused on exploiting the massive wealth and Indigenous labor of its possessions in Mexico and Peru, the Spanish displayed little curiosity about the territories to the north, made no effort to explore the region, and thus remained ignorant of any potential opportunities that existed there.