Fun with Guatemala?

I should probably point out that this thread idea comes from a misreading of the post-1900 "Hawaii with Gambling?" thread. In my defense, it's after 2330 hours here.

The purpose of this thread is to come up with ways for "Guatemala" to be as relevant to world history as possible. It could be the center of republican democracy in the Americas. It could be a small country whose internal power struggles spark a world war among foreign backers. It doesn't matter how large or small Guatemala is. There's really only two necessities:

1) There must be a country called Guatemala.

2) Lots of cool stuff must happen there.
 
How about Guatemala reuniting the UPCA?
Building upon that, what if Guatemala, being the center of power in Central America, whether it's managed to fully recreate the USCA or not, holds the future of the Panama/Nicaragua canal in its hands? That could give it a lot more importance than it would normally have otherwise and could, with other circumstances at work, make it the linchpin in a global war.
 
Building upon that, what if Guatemala, being the center of power in Central America, whether it's managed to fully recreate the USCA or not, holds the future of the Panama/Nicaragua canal in its hands? That could give it a lot more importance than it would normally have otherwise and could, with other circumstances at work, make it the linchpin in a global war.

Kind of like how Singapore went really rich despite being a city-state?
 
Well, Guatemala could go in for 'Maya restoration' when trying to form an independent identity, and then asks for a union/close cooperation with the Republic of the Yucatan in the 1840s. The US, having reasons to want to preserve the independence of the Yucatan from Mexico and thinking that Guatemala would act as a good ally in Central America stategically promises support to Guatemala in efforts to unite with the Yucatan. Mexico is obviously unimpressed, and tries to prevent the union, but after it is agreed in late 1844, goes to war with Guatemala (now consisting of the Yucatan as well). America backs Guatemala and goes to war with Mexico also. The war essentially follows the same results of the OTL Mexican-American War, though now started because of Guatemala and with Guatemala gaining Chiapas as well as being recognised as owning the Yucatan in the peace treaty.
 
This is unlikely, given that the Republic of Yucatan was very anti-Mayan, that is to say they were still a caste-based society that treated the Mayans as serfs at best, and the Mayan rebellion is what killed them. Now, Guatemala could support the rebels, assuming Mayans also dominated politics and society in Guatemala as well, rather than creoles. The rebels were also backed by Britain as well, and if they don't lose that British support like they did OTL they can go on to control the entire peninsula perhaps, except for British Honduras (Belize) of course.
 
Have Chiapas not vote to join Mexico earlier on. Means it can either join with Guatemala later or be a little sibling to it. Next, have some sort of divergence at the time when the British abandonded the Mosquito Coast Protectorate, either by having a rather tempting (unlikely) series of deals about the Guatemalans being used as basically a large warehouse, using manuel labor and mules to drag cargo from one end of the country to another. This can be down by quasi-slavery, which the British banned, by using natives, surplus Haitians, British convicts, and prisoners-of-war that nobody wanted. The Guatemalans could suggest that private British citizens buy up chunks of land before the tried, so as to have a greater stake in the stability of the area. British Hondorus and regular Hondorus could be dragged in at some point while canals are being tried and failed in Panama, Mexico, and Nicuragua. If those failed, then Guatemala could try making themselves into blah blah Have the British clump Belize on and creat a Dominion of Guatemala. Or you can just have borders of the Captaincy General of Guatemala as it was. Basically being the United Provinces of Central America.


http://www.britishempire.co.uk/images4/centralamericamap.jpg
 
Hawii Thread.

Guatemala becomes a tourist destination. It has a warm climate. Weathy tourrists all want to go there. Hotels spring up. It has friends in a varrity of countrys because of this. Money flows into Guatemala. Unprecidented economic development occures. Remembering the Hawii thread, legalized gambeling, marajuana and prostitution bring in even more money. Soon Guatemala is as strong as Nevada and New Jersey but, has all the social problems.
 
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