With the acquisition of the Central and South American lands, Spain effectively controlled the entire area that was to become known as the Spanish Main. Originally, the term Spanish Main was used to indicate the portion of the Caribbean basin that ran along the northern coast of South America, and the islands close to the shore. At that time, the Spanish had divided the area into three different regions, one of which was known as Tierra Firma, meaning “mainland.” This area covered Venezuela, Columbia, Panama, and the offshore islands.

The second region was called New Spain, and this encompassed present-day Mexico and its surrounding areas. The final region was known as the Viceroy of Peru, and it covered the Pacific coast of South America and Ecuador. Later, the French and the English began referring to all of the Spanish holdings in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and Central and South America as the Spanish Main.