And after conquering the Inca and the Aztecs, they created an empire with two administrative divisions. The Viceroyalty of New Spain, founded in 1521, and the Viceroyalty of Peru, founded in 1542. In some ways, the Aztec and Inca empires were perfect for Spanish conquest. Their administrative structures were similar, there was a similar link between secular and religious power, albeit different religions. All of which made it relatively easy for the Spanish crown to step into the void left by those two great empires and send their own administrators to run the place. While most of the Spanish aristocrats who came over ran large agricultural operations, you don't see a lot of movies called, like, Indiana Jones and the Search for a Nice Farm in the Countryside. The real glory for conquistadors was gold.