Spanish New England

[xsampa]

In a world where Columbus got lost and thr Portuguese were the first to contact the Carribbean and MesoAmerica, how would the Spanish colonize New England?

Apparently, Spanish Basques led whaling expeditions in Terranova [Newfoundland]:

By the 1540s, when the Spanish Basques began sending whaling expeditions to Newfoundland, the ventures were no longer experimental, but a "resounding financial success from their inception."

And traded with Natives:

During their onshore stays, the whalers developed relations with North American natives that led to the establishment of a purpose-specific language with both American native and Basque elements.

Given the Spanish tolerance of mestizaje, the Algonquin Natives would be more easily integrated.

 

[SeaBos]

Likely there’d be less up front conquest if New England’s discovered first. There’s no gold to mine or native kingdoms to conquer and the climate doesn’t lend itself to plantation agriculture. Pelts and maple syrup might lead Spain to build some trading outposts but it won’t be as extensive as what the Conquistadors did.

 

[xsampa]

Likely there’d be less up front conquest if New England’s discovered first. There’s no gold to mine or native kingdoms to conquer and the climate doesn’t lend itself to plantation agriculture. Pelts and maple syrup might lead Spain to build some trading outposts but it won’t be as extensive as what the Conquistadors did.

Would it separate from the mother country earlier than OTL Spanish America, especially with colonies moving up the St. Lawrence into the great lakes?
Also w/o conquistadors, tighter govt control would be focused on converting Natives and assimilating them, but without large numbers of settlers, there wouldn’t be as severe of a post-independence racial hierarchy.