Which of the following explains why the location of the St. Augustine settlement was important to the Spaniards? A. The settlement served as a base for expanding Spanish settlements into the Carolinas and Virginia. B. St. Augustine became a major center of commerce with the French and English. C. St. Augustine was the nearest point in North America to Spain. D. The shipping route that Spanish ships used to take gold and silver from the Americas to Spain passed near St. Augustine. Soldiers at the St. Augustine fort protected Spanish ships from pirates.