wadebirdwhistle
Banned
So, recently I saw a thread discussing disease in the Americas post contact, in which commentators were talking about the lack of genetic diversity being a contributing factor in why Old World diseases were able to tear through the Americas with such ruthless efficiency (at least from the viruses' perspectives). In this thread, the commentators were discussing the possibility of mitigating this with Spanish trade with Meso-American states rather than demolishing of them (perhaps by butterflying Cortés' successes somehow), with specific emphasis on the exchange of slaves for gold. In this scenario, it was proposed that African slavery among the Aztecs and Maya might function more like Middle Eastern/Mediterranean slavery in that slaves would be used for a wider variety of professions than just working colonial cash crops, which could see them making a significant genetic contribution to the population over time, especially as Native populations would be dropping due to disease.
So, all of this got me thinking about the blending of West African/Meso-American societies. Around this time of course (the Early Modern Era), considerable parts of West Africa are Muslim, while others follow indigenous religious traditions, while the Aztecs and the Maya are still very much into religions that center around human sacrifice. I was wondering if, through the blending of indigenous African/Muslim traditions and Meso-American ones, we might see an expansionist religion a la Islam developing in Meso-America, and what such a religion might look like?
Honestly, I am not entirely that knowledgeable about either Meso-American religion or indigenous African religion, but I can tell you quite a bit about Islam, having read the Qur'an more than once. Does anyone have any thoughts?
So, all of this got me thinking about the blending of West African/Meso-American societies. Around this time of course (the Early Modern Era), considerable parts of West Africa are Muslim, while others follow indigenous religious traditions, while the Aztecs and the Maya are still very much into religions that center around human sacrifice. I was wondering if, through the blending of indigenous African/Muslim traditions and Meso-American ones, we might see an expansionist religion a la Islam developing in Meso-America, and what such a religion might look like?
Honestly, I am not entirely that knowledgeable about either Meso-American religion or indigenous African religion, but I can tell you quite a bit about Islam, having read the Qur'an more than once. Does anyone have any thoughts?