Captain Juan Francisco Bodega y Quadra, circa 1785.

Spanish claims to Alaska dated to the papal bull of 1493, which divided the entire globe into Spanish and Portuguese hemispheres for the purpose of establishing colonies. The entire west coast of North America was within the portion of the globe granted to Spain. In 1513, this claim was reinforced by Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish explorer, when he claimed all lands adjoining the Pacific Ocean for the Spanish Crown. Spain was sufficiently confident in these claims, that it took little or no action to actually colonize the claimed territory north of Mexico for over 250 years. Image File history File links Juan_Francisco_de_la_Bodega_y_Quadra. ... Image File history File links Juan_Francisco_de_la_Bodega_y_Quadra. ... Inter caetera (Among other [works]) was a papal bull issued by Pope Alexander VI on May 4, 1493, which granted to Spain (the Crowns of Castile and Aragon) all lands to the west and south of a pole-of-pole line 100 leagues (418 km) west and south of any... The west coast of North America consists of the modern American states of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and arguably Alaska and parts of the Yukon. ... 1513 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

However, by the 1770s, rivals began to appear for the first time in the form of British and Russian fur traders, and King Charles III of Spain sent forth from Mexico a number of expeditions between 1774 and 1791, to re-assert historic Spanish claims, and to explore the northern Pacific Coast of North America, including Alaska. Charles III of Spain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

The second expedition, led by Lieutenant Bruno de Hezeta aboard the Santiago, along with 90 men set sail from San Blas on March 16, 1775 with orders to make clear Spanish claims for the entire northern Pacific Coast. Accompanying Hezeta was the escort and supply ship Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (generally known as the Señora), initially under the command of Juan Manuel de Ayala. The 37 foot (11 m) schooner and its crew complement of 16 were to perform coastal reconnaissance and mapping, and could make landfall in places the larger Santiago was unable to approach on its previous voyage; in this way, the expedition could officially reassert Spanish claims to the lands north of Mexico it visited. Bruno de Heceta (Hezeta) y Dudagoitia (1744-1807) was a Spanish explorer of the Pacific Northwest. ... San Blas is both a municipality and municipal seat located on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Nayarit. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in leap years). ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Juan Manuel de Ayala (28 December 1745 – 30 December 1797) was a Spanish naval officer who played a significant role in the European exploration of California, since he and the crew of his ship the San Carlos are the first Europeans known to have entered the San Francisco Bay. ... Two-masted fishing schooner A schooner (IPA: ) is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts. ...

The two ships sailed together as far north as Point Grenville, Washington, named Punta de los Martires (or "Point of the Martyrs") by Hezeta in response to an attack by the local Quinault Indians. By design, the vessels parted company on the evening of July 29, 1775 with the Santiago continuing to what is today the border between Washington state and Canada. The Señora (now with second officer Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra at the helm) moved up the coast according to its orders, ultimately reaching a position at Latitude 59° North on August 15, entering Sitka Sound near the present-day town of Sitka, Alaska. It is there that the Spaniards performed numerous "acts of sovereignty," naming and claiming Puerto de Bucareli (Bucareli Sound), Puerto de los Remedios, and Mount San Jacinto, renamed Mount Edgecumbe by British explorer James Cook three years later. Point Grenville is a headland of Washington State. ... Quinault (tribe) is a group of Native American peoples from western Washington state in the United States. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... Captain Juan Francisco Bodega y Quadra, Marina real, circa 1785. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... Sitka Sound with Mount Verstovia in the foreground. ... Nickname: First City of Alaska Coordinates: Borough City and Borough of Sitka Founded 1799 Incorporated December 2, 1971 Mayor Marko Dapcevich Area    - City 12,461. ... Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... Bucareli Sound is situated in Alaska. ... For other mountains named Edgecumbe, see Mount Edgecumbe. ... James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ...

Spanish contact in British Columbia and Alaska.

Throughout the voyage, the crews of both vessels endured many hardships, including food shortages and scurvy. On September 8, the ships rejoined and headed south for the return trip to San Blas. September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ...

Another expedition was that of Alessandro Malaspina. In 1791, the King of Spain gave Alejandro Malaspina command of an around-the-world scientific expedition, with orders to locate the Northwest Passage and search for gold, precious stones, and any American, British, or Russian settlements along the northwest coast. He surveyed the Alaska coast to the Prince William Sound. At Yakutat Bay, the expedition made contact with the Tlingit. Spanish scholars made a study of the tribe, recording information on social mores, language, economy, warfare methods, and burial practices. Artists with the expedition, Tomas de Suria and José Cardero, produced portraits of tribal members and scenes of Tlingit daily life. A glacier between Yakutat Bay and Icy Bay was subsequently named after Malaspina. Alessandro Malaspina (also found as Alexandro and Alejandro) (1754 - 1810) was a Spanish naval officer and explorer. ... Alessandro Malaspina (also found as Alexandro and Alejandro) (1754 - 1810) was a Spanish naval officer and explorer. ... Popular Northwest Passage routes through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago This article describes the route through the Canadian Arctic. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ...

In the end, the North Pacific rivalry proved to be too difficult for Spain, which withdrew from the contest and transferred its claims in the region to the United States in the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. Today, Spain's Alaskan legacy endures as little more than a few place names, among these the Malaspina Glacier and the town of Valdez. The Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819 (formally titled the Treaty of Amity, Settlement, and Limits Between the United States of America and His Catholic Majesty, and also known as the Transcontinental Treaty of 1819, and sometimes the Florida Purchase Treaty) was a historic agreement between the United States and... The Malaspina Glacier is so large that it can only seen in its entirety from space; this 1994 photo from STS-66, on a rare clear day, is of an area about 100 km (60 mi) across. ... Valdez (IPA: ) is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. ...

See also

• Spanish colonization of the Americas
• History of Alaska