Was the New Spain really that big? (Picture inside)

[jtur88]

Essentially, Spanish claims included all of North and South America, from the year after Columbus landed.

A 1493 papal bull (Inter caetera) and rights contained in the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas . . . gave Spain the exclusive rights to colonize all of the Western Hemisphere (excluding Brazil), including the exclusive rights to colonize all of the west coast of North America.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Fidalgo

The Spanish naval officer Valdez never saw Valdez, Alaska, which was named by Fidalgo, who occupied it for Spain. Valdez las the interesting disctinction of having town in both Florida and Alaska named after him.

[BIMBAM]

In BC, they explored much of this region and landed in various areas, but never settled or wielded any real power over local populations. They built a fort or two, but the influence was so minimal that even European diseases like smallpox weren't being transmitted in a serious way until other groups started to become involved with the region.