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In 1606 the Viceroy of New Spain ordered the newly founded colony of New Mexico to be abandoned, since it was clearly an economic loss for the government and just brought brutality to the natives. Unfortunately, the Franciscans intervened on the grounds that the locals needed to see Jesus, and the colony survived.

What if New Mexico was abandoned in 1606 (and presumably not settled afterwards)? How differently would the history of North America develop?
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