Although the Spanish settled other regions of North and South America during the 16th century, they paid little attention to the lands north of the Baja Peninsula. A Spanish expedition in 1542 under Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo made its northernmost landings at Santa Barbara, California, but difficult currents and winds along with colder temperatures discouraged future Spanish interests in the Pacific Northwest. Lands from California south were considered part of the Spanish claims, ruled from Mexico City and ultimately by the government in Madrid, Spain. The Spanish assumed possession of territory further north on the Pacific coast under Papal decree, but they did not launch expeditions to explore, chart, or formally claim these lands until the 18th century.
New Spain existed in several different forms between 1525 and 1821. At its height, New Spain included the southwestern region of what are now the United States, Mexico, northern Central America, and the Philippines. A military approach to governing included naval bases, such as San Blas, founded in 1768 on the Pacific coast of Mexico. The leader appointed by the Spanish king was known as the viceroy and made decisions for the territory. This vast viceroyalty launched Christian missionary activities, which were intended to convert the indigenous peoples.
Spain was not concerned with state-sponsored military or private economic ventures in the Pacific Northwest until rumours of Russian expansion from Kamchatka in the 1760s began to circulate. King Carlos III confirmed these reports with his minister in St. Petersburg in 1773, and a new era of interest in the northern Pacific began. For two decades, the Spanish charted and even established a fort in the Pacific Northwest, but agreements with the British in the latter 18th century meant that Spain finally had to leave its Pacific interests behind.
