Who first brought the Spanish language to America?

While there's no single "first" person who brought Spanish to America, the answer depends on what part of America you're talking about:

* For the Americas as a whole: Christopher Columbus and his crew are often cited as the first Europeans to arrive in the Americas, bringing the Spanish language with them in 1492. However, it's important to acknowledge that Indigenous people already inhabited the Americas with their own languages for thousands of years before European arrival.

* For North America specifically: The Spanish arrived in Florida in 1513, and the first permanent Spanish settlement in North America was established in St. Augustine, Florida in 1565.

* For the Southwestern United States: The Spanish conquistadors began exploring and colonizing the Southwest in the 16th century, establishing settlements like Santa Fe in 1610.

It's crucial to remember that the arrival of the Spanish language was part of a larger colonial process that had significant impact on the indigenous populations and their languages. The legacy of Spanish in America is complex and interconnected with the history of colonization and the enduring presence of indigenous languages.