AH Challenge: Muslim Mexico

That could only happen if Spain was totally taken by the muslims...with a muslim government instead of the Catholic Kings; and of course, propelled by the exploration competition, the muslims sent ships to the west, hoping to reach India and Asia, controlling the western sea routes (of course, they don't know America is there) and end up in the caribbean.
Years later, they conquer the Antilles, the caribbean islands, and of course, Cuba. After funding a settlement in Cuba, they go for the big one: the Yucatán Peninsula.
After seeing the amounts of gold that the maya have, and after hearing stories of the mighty Tenochtitlan and its treasures, they start attacking (and subduing) the totonaca, mayas and many other cultures. By 1520 or 1521, they have a full army moving to Tenochtitlan.
Despite the best efforts of the aztec troops, they're overrun and muslim conquerors manage to seize and control what remains of Tenochtitlan. And of course, the same happens for the Inca, who are battered by the reckless attacks of the muslims.
By 1540, the major empires (Aztec, Maya and Inca) are completely defeated and converted to muslim religion. And of course, after subduing the yaki, raramuri and many other tribes of the Sonoran Desert, the muslims (adapted to dry climates) start exploring North America...
 
I picked 1500 because I want a TL after the reconquista and Spain is already united under Ferdinand and Isabella.
 
Or then, it can happen as a cause for the mexican independence war in 1810...the only thing that could be needed is the existence of a muslim revolutionary...
 
After 1500? Veeeeery hard. Maybe if Morocco somehow decides in 1500 that the only way to defend himself from Spain and Portugal is to modernize and to have an ocean going fleet. He does so, and tries to conquer Canary Islands... And then somehow, after succeding, he sends and expedition to America. There, the Muslims fight the Spaniards with the help of the Amerindians, who rebell, seeing them as their liberators. After winning, the Indians convert to Islam.

extremly unlikely. And I don't know anything about the situation in present day Morocco to see if the first part of this is even remotely possible.I mean, the part of Morocco modernizing, building a fleet, and invading the Canary islands.
 
Or then, it can happen as a cause for the mexican independence war in 1810...the only thing that could be needed is the existence of a muslim revolutionary...

Which, given the fact that the Spanish Crown allowed no Jews, Muslims or Protestants in their American colonies, is well, a liiiiiiittle bit hard.

Maybe a Muslim Black slave? But, how is he ever going to be able to start a rebelion to which the Indians, the mestizos and the Criollos would be willing to join (Specially if all were deeply Catholics).
 
After 1500? Veeeeery hard. Maybe if Morocco somehow decides in 1500 that the only way to defend himself from Spain and Portugal is to modernize and to have an ocean going fleet. He does so, and tries to conquer Canary Islands... And then somehow, after succeding, he sends and expedition to America. There, the Muslims fight the Spaniards with the help of the Amerindians, who rebell, seeing them as their liberators. After winning, the Indians convert to Islam.

By 1500 there wasn't *a* Morocco, but several statelets.
 
if Spain was unified I can't see them very well allowing a Muslim nation / people to colonize so close to their own new world colonies...
 
if Spain was unified I can't see them very well allowing a Muslim nation / people to colonize so close to their own new world colonies...

It'll be a long process of course. The most possible way to do this is to make Ottoman Empire stronger.;) And the key factor to realize this is the conquest of Persia by Ottoman Empire. This will prevent the rise of Shiite in Iran to make trouble for OE and also provide resources and population to make OE grow even stronger.
 
It'll be a long process of course. The most possible way to do this is to make Ottoman Empire stronger.;) And the key factor to realize this is the conquest of Persia by Ottoman Empire. This will prevent the rise of Shiite in Iran to make trouble for OE and also provide resources and population to make OE grow even stronger.

I'll have to disagree here - even if the Persians remain predominately Sunni, that doesn't make them automatically friendly to the Ottomans. The Ottomans could conquer (or better yet: vassalize) a Sunni Persia, but that will draw a lot of the Ottoman's resources.

One of the more realistic best-case scenario's for the Ottomans in Persia would be to have the Ottomans gain control of Mesopotamia, most of the Zagros mountains, southern (i.e. Iranian) Azerbaijan and the eastern Caucasus, while keeping a few relatively weak vassal states in western and central Persia.

However, keep in mind that if the Ottomans gain control of Persia, it'll be far more likely that they expand eastwards into Central Asia instead of heading westwards - which is great if you want an Ottoman Transoxia, but not so good if you want an Ottoman-influenced Mexico.

..
In my opinion, the best chances for a Muslim Mexico with a POD after 1500, is to combine a slight Morocco-wank (which should be hard enough with a POD no earlier than 1500...) with a failure of the Spanish to fully conquer Mexico in the first place, and then let Moroccan corsairs establish a permanent base somewhere in Mexico (still partially controlled by Spain), let these corsairs ally with some local states that are at war with the Spanish and/or allies of the Spanish.

From there on, all you need is to let Moroccans and their allies defeat the Spanish and their allies in Mexico, and then let Islam spread among the native allies of the Moroccans, and then across Mexico.

And since Mexico should still have several rather wealthy native states that are severely weakened from the recently introduced Old World diseases, it should attract quite a few Moroccan colonists, corsairs, and soldiers of fortune.

...but that's still a longshot, though.
 
Top