<P> Explorers flying the flag of Spain reached the New World beginning in 1492 with the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus . Spanish expeditions colonized and explored vast areas in North and South America following the grants of the Pope ( contained in the 1493 papal bull Inter caetera ) and rights contained in the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas and 1529 Treaty of Zaragoza . These formal acts gave Spain the exclusive rights to colonize the entire Western Hemisphere ( excluding eastern Brazil ) , including all of the west coast of North America . The first European expedition to actually reach the west coast was led by the Spaniard Vasco Núñez de Balboa , who reached the Pacific coast of Panama in 1513 . In an act of enduring historical importance , Balboa claimed the Pacific Ocean for the Spanish Crown , as well as all adjoining land and islands . This act gave Spain exclusive sovereignty and navigation rights over the entire west coast of North America . </P>
the first european in america to see the pacific ocean was
Spaniard Vasco Núñez de Balboa