Spain finds Georgia gold?

In a recent thread I was replying to regarding Spanish activities north of Mexico, suddenly the thought hit me--what if Spain had found the gold that OTL sparked the Georgia Gold Rush? If I recall, de Soto was repeatedly told in his march through the US South about gold, but he never seemed to actually find it. And he was hardly the only Spanish explorer in the northern Georgia/Carolinas in the 16th century. There also happens to be smaller deposits of gold found in the Carolinas, which were also known to the natives, if I recall.

So, what if one of the Spaniards roaming around in backwoods Georgia/Carolinas the 16th/early 17th century finds this gold, perhaps when burying a fallen ally after a skirmish/illness or just out of pure luck? Could the population influx this gets make the region at least semi-viable to Spain, to at least the degree of New Mexico (possibly better, since fewer hellish Indian raids)? The mines in the US South aren't the mines of Mexico, Peru, or Brazil, but they do have something in them that'll hold over an initial settlement. Plus this is the Deep South--they can try their hand at tobacco farming (would require slaves, Indian or black) as well for a cash crop. For a more remote proposal, yaupon tea (a relative of yerba mate) might work as well for making income. Although this being 16th/17th century Spain, the main colonial goal will be converting the natives and making them dig every bit of gold they find out of the Earth.

Any other thoughts, comments, etc.?
 
Wouldn't the British simply take over once they're strong enough ?

De Soto went to conquer Florida in 1539.

By the time England, or if things go OTL Scotland, unify the British Kingdoms and manage to rise to be strong enough to face the Spanish, the gold mines would be empty.
 
Wouldn't the British simply take over once they're strong enough ?

Not necessarily. This would be before and during the same time as the Roanoke Colony and slightly before Jamestown. I think an English presence on the East Coast of North America is inevitable, but this would give Spain a significant base. The border between Spanish and English domination could be a few hundred miles north.
 
A lot would depend on whether many Spanish actually go there, and whether they develop it as a plantation colony after the gold runs out, or just abandon it. If it is a very small colony focused on extracting gold and nothing else, it is likely to become a footnote to history. If it becomes a larger plantation colony, maybe it could successfully contend with the British (and possibly also the French or Dutch) for control of the area.
 
A lot would depend on whether many Spanish actually go there, and whether they develop it as a plantation colony after the gold runs out, or just abandon it. If it is a very small colony focused on extracting gold and nothing else, it is likely to become a footnote to history. If it becomes a larger plantation colony, maybe it could successfully contend with the British (and possibly also the French or Dutch) for control of the area.

I think it would draw off at least some settlement from Florida (better climate), plus the initial gold mining will last about a decade at minimum and will require labour input since unlike Mexico or Peru, there aren't enough American Indians in the area to enslave and force to mine. Incidentally, a decent amount of the initial settlement will probably likely be Mexican, as in New Mexico and Texas. It's too early for cotton (no cotton gin), so I think they'll try and plant tobacco there. Or they might not, since the 16th century was a bit too early for tobacco. Sugar might work in Georgia, but I'm not sure. I know coffee has been planted successfully there, but that wasn't grown on a large-scale in the New World until even later. So I think that leaves yaupon tea as an interesting potential for early export--much like Paraguay and yerba mate.

I think it seems unlikely Spain won't stay if they find it, since they tried multiple times OTL to put missions in Georgia, the Carolinas, and as far north as Virginia. So the real question is to what degree can it be incorporated into the Spanish Empire? Will it be like California or Texas, and just be an outpost with some missions, or like New Mexico and leave a significant impact on the region, or will it be fated to be something better?
 
DeSoto_Map_HRoe_2008.jpg


De Soto's route overlaps substantially with locations of Appalachian gold (in Georgia, the Carolinas, into Virginia, and eastern Tennessee). Presumably the indians therein were smart enough not to reveal it.
 
De Soto's route overlaps substantially with locations of Appalachian gold (in Georgia, the Carolinas, into Virginia, and eastern Tennessee). Presumably the indians therein were smart enough not to reveal it.

He knew there was gold (Indians evidently had golden artifacts), just no one told him. But maybe someone slips up, maybe someone inadvertenly tells him a place to look when they try and send him and his merry band of conquistadors on their way to mess with the guys in the next village over? It really doesn't seem unlikely, especially since de Soto was only the first of several Spanish expeditions in the American South.
 
He knew there was gold (Indians evidently had golden artifacts), just no one told him. But maybe someone slips up, maybe someone inadvertenly tells him a place to look when they try and send him and his merry band of conquistadors on their way to mess with the guys in the next village over? It really doesn't seem unlikely, especially since de Soto was only the first of several Spanish expeditions in the American South.


First the discovery would provide an strong incentive and a justification for lops allocate the necessary resources to establish a colony on the queen that time was a remote place, too far from Mexico which was the center of Spanish power in America.

Most likely would be a colony of the Caribbean style and its settlement, protection and communication would be planned from the outset from Spain would be created. Regarding to colony defenses, are likely to be similar or stronger than the fortifications designed to defend San Agustin in Florida.
It is also likely that some kind of naval base was established in the new colony or in the colony of Florida (which is transformed into much more important and valuable strategically for the Spanish empire and therefore more populated and better defended, of what it was in OTL); it also must establish by sea an indirect communication with Spain from Cuba or maybe an direct atlantic way with the Peninsula.
Obviously this means that this ways of communication and transport to and from the new colony should be protected and kept safe from the threat of rival powers and pirates.

This may boost the exploration of the rest of the east coast and establish some military / naval fortified outside the boundaries of the colony, for their better protection.

The population will probably be composed of a good number Spanish immigrants both American and peninsular and if the natives would not be possible to turn them into workers ... would bring workers from Mexico and Cuba.
Of course the missionary and evangelizing activity, based on the new colony but not limited to its limits and supported / protected by military force, if necessary, would be increased and would obtain results at least similar to those obtained in similar circumstances in South Texas... regarding to the assimilation and Christianization of the natives. Quite possibly the chain of missions / garrisons stretching from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico and as far west and north is a matter of speculation but I guess it is likely that in these cirscuntancias, would reach the Missippi River and at least as far north what it would Tenesse in OTL.
 
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