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As Columbus set sail in 1492, the world was brimming with possibilities. No one was quite sure exactly what lay just beyond the horizon. However, Spaniards were fairly certain that whatever existed out there, it would supply two things: wealth and converts. To the Spanish, these potential prizes were irresistible. As the acquisition of the Canary Islands was just being finalized, Ferdinand and Isabella were confident the lessons they had learned in the Reconquest and especially off the coast of Africa would carry them to an even swifter and more profitable victory in future voyages. The conquest of the Canary Islands and their colonization was not done with a Spanish royal army, but rather by means of the throne offering citizens land grants and fiscal exemptions on land they would conquer. Anyone who wanted the adventure of foreign war had to organize private financing and following conquest would then recoup the expense by receiving the part of the taxes that would be collected from the newly conquered lands. The success of this policy stemmed from the fact that the Crown had little to no up-front expenses in the expansion of their empire. Ferdinand and Isabella now had an army of conquering ambassadors who only required