Say that the Ming did not halt their maritime activity. Lets say they continued and eventually through explorations following Zheng He's example found their way across the pacific islands and into Mesoamerica.
Their contact with the Mexica (Aztecs) reforms the Triple Alliance and fast paced expands their territory to present day Rio Grande and as far as slightly over the Arizonia-New Mexico-Texas borders OTL. The affects on the Mexica by the Ming I have explained in another thread, innoculation, reformation of political system, iron, horses, Dragon Warriors, use of biological warfare, and so on.
I want to concentrate on the possible proliferation of gunpowder, horses, iron, canals, and such, from Mexico, but not by the Spanish, into North America from the Southwest, outward. This is a developing timeline I call, Timeline 240- Ming-Mexica-Peru.
----
Now by 1300ad the Anzani people had pretty much all moved south into modern day Pueblo lands, of the pueblo peoples (Hopi, Acoma, Zuni, etc.). The Rio Grande basin and Colorado River Basin, in OTL New Mexico and Arizona. Without beasts of burden their was trade as far south as Tenochititlan in a trade network that covered most of the south-west from lower California to Texas to Tenochtitlan.
Now the Mexica were a conquering sorts, so armed with Ming aid, cross bow, gun, iron, horses, and disease carrying traders and slaves, they expanded as far as the Rio Grande, and maybe above the lower Arizona-New Mexico-Texas borders.
Now even before the Mexica would get this far the pueblo peoples would hear of these things brought by the Ming via the trade network, and send salt and other goods to the south to trade for these things, or they were brought north. Though a new tactic of the Mexica was to use traders to spread smallpox amongst outsiders, this was so that this would weaken the surrounding indian tribes and a promise of a cure would be used to bargin the indian tribes's to assimilate into the Mexica Empire. Though, due to the distance of the Pueblo peoples, the Mexica traders that went north with plagued slaves and cattles, they came out north to Pueblo clean, having spread it across most of OTL Mexico.
Now even without the new things, the pueblo people were ubran centred, with high hard to penetrate mesa-towns.
Around 1500 and abit before, the pueblo peoples areas would be visited by two groups of peoples. The first group would be: The Apache. The Apache camps would camp outside of the mesas, alot of the time their would be peace, friednly contact with trade, but a few times of violent flares as in OTL.
But then the armies of the Mexica would emerge from the south establishing for the most part control over northern Mexico (leaving a large swath of a core land to the nomadic tribes so that they had a people they could Flower War for sacrifices ((having banned unwilling sacrifice of their conquered people with the Mind reforms.)) when the Tlaxcala collapsed). Expeditions northward were mostly fueled by the search for Atzlan, the Mexica mythical birthplace.
For the most part each Mesa was it's own independent group, yet with the military tech small 'kingdoms' were established by war thirsty Pueblo or Apache, most making up 2-4 mesas. With horses and cattle firmly introduced to the Apache, Apache bands became semi-nomadic, most employed by the Pueblo mesas to raid another mesa or defend them. Marriage between the groups, and inter-cultural relations were established, and a bond between the two peoples slowly grew stronger.
The arrival of the well known conquerors the Mexica would of course cause alarm in the Pueblo and Apache communities. They did have many new military weapons, even a few cannon, but they could not match the military might of the Mexica, well trained and bloodthirsty. A meeting was held a few months before the arrival of the Mexica was predicted (they would march up the Rio Grande), the leaders of all the Pueblo and Apache communities attended.
In the it was discussed what should be done. Each leader had a different thought, the leaders were not thinking as one, only for their own individual communities. Except for Goyathlay, "He Who Yawns" of a Apache band of the later day Navajo, whoa t the moment were settled outside of Acoma,e he thought that they should all fight, but as one. United under a everlasting confederation, should they win or lose. Many of the cheifs were eager to not lose their culture to the Mexica, but they did not wish to lose their independance either. Eventually, Goyathlay prevailed, convincing most of the assembled to a confederation that ever man, Pueblo or Apache would be equal, and the powers of each Mesa and community would be respected. Though, knowing that the communities that did not agree could fracture the new alliance, and that ever warrior was needed, Goyathlay quickly in a month long campaign toppled the leaders of the non joining Mesas and communities, which succeeded without causing many deaths to either side.
So united under the Pueblo-Apache Confederation, the confederate forced met the forces of the Mexica at Acoma. In a three day battle, the confederate forces managed to out pace and lure the vanguard forces of the Mexica army into ambushes and traps at first, slowly pitching down on the third day that left both sides bloody. This battle was known as The Battle of Sky City.
Though the Mexica still had more men and might, they could have conquered then and their, were it not for a major invasion amongst the nomads of northern Mexico the Mexica had left mostly unharmed. As well as the Mexica general seeing this far north as a worthless place. So the Mexica army retreated, and the Pueblo-Apache Confederation was saved.
With the threat of the Mexica gone, some of the communities wished to go their own way again, but Golathay had married into the Pueblo people, as well as making many allies amongst Apache and Pueblo, and seeing that the Mexica might come back. Using his power as leader and his allies, he forced the Pueblo-Apache Confederation together, silencing those who wished to leave. Eventually, at a meeting at Acoma the communes formed a law system, that would treat every member of the Confederation fairly and was the second "Democracy" after the Iroquois League.....
Meanwhile, just abit to the east in Texas, the Commanche had quickly taken to the horse, and their grazing lands were spreading north into the Great Plains.......
Next Thread Timeline:240 Ming-Mexica-Peru: The Commanche and The Mississippians.
Their contact with the Mexica (Aztecs) reforms the Triple Alliance and fast paced expands their territory to present day Rio Grande and as far as slightly over the Arizonia-New Mexico-Texas borders OTL. The affects on the Mexica by the Ming I have explained in another thread, innoculation, reformation of political system, iron, horses, Dragon Warriors, use of biological warfare, and so on.
I want to concentrate on the possible proliferation of gunpowder, horses, iron, canals, and such, from Mexico, but not by the Spanish, into North America from the Southwest, outward. This is a developing timeline I call, Timeline 240- Ming-Mexica-Peru.
----
Now by 1300ad the Anzani people had pretty much all moved south into modern day Pueblo lands, of the pueblo peoples (Hopi, Acoma, Zuni, etc.). The Rio Grande basin and Colorado River Basin, in OTL New Mexico and Arizona. Without beasts of burden their was trade as far south as Tenochititlan in a trade network that covered most of the south-west from lower California to Texas to Tenochtitlan.
Now the Mexica were a conquering sorts, so armed with Ming aid, cross bow, gun, iron, horses, and disease carrying traders and slaves, they expanded as far as the Rio Grande, and maybe above the lower Arizona-New Mexico-Texas borders.
Now even before the Mexica would get this far the pueblo peoples would hear of these things brought by the Ming via the trade network, and send salt and other goods to the south to trade for these things, or they were brought north. Though a new tactic of the Mexica was to use traders to spread smallpox amongst outsiders, this was so that this would weaken the surrounding indian tribes and a promise of a cure would be used to bargin the indian tribes's to assimilate into the Mexica Empire. Though, due to the distance of the Pueblo peoples, the Mexica traders that went north with plagued slaves and cattles, they came out north to Pueblo clean, having spread it across most of OTL Mexico.
Now even without the new things, the pueblo people were ubran centred, with high hard to penetrate mesa-towns.
Around 1500 and abit before, the pueblo peoples areas would be visited by two groups of peoples. The first group would be: The Apache. The Apache camps would camp outside of the mesas, alot of the time their would be peace, friednly contact with trade, but a few times of violent flares as in OTL.
But then the armies of the Mexica would emerge from the south establishing for the most part control over northern Mexico (leaving a large swath of a core land to the nomadic tribes so that they had a people they could Flower War for sacrifices ((having banned unwilling sacrifice of their conquered people with the Mind reforms.)) when the Tlaxcala collapsed). Expeditions northward were mostly fueled by the search for Atzlan, the Mexica mythical birthplace.
For the most part each Mesa was it's own independent group, yet with the military tech small 'kingdoms' were established by war thirsty Pueblo or Apache, most making up 2-4 mesas. With horses and cattle firmly introduced to the Apache, Apache bands became semi-nomadic, most employed by the Pueblo mesas to raid another mesa or defend them. Marriage between the groups, and inter-cultural relations were established, and a bond between the two peoples slowly grew stronger.
The arrival of the well known conquerors the Mexica would of course cause alarm in the Pueblo and Apache communities. They did have many new military weapons, even a few cannon, but they could not match the military might of the Mexica, well trained and bloodthirsty. A meeting was held a few months before the arrival of the Mexica was predicted (they would march up the Rio Grande), the leaders of all the Pueblo and Apache communities attended.
In the it was discussed what should be done. Each leader had a different thought, the leaders were not thinking as one, only for their own individual communities. Except for Goyathlay, "He Who Yawns" of a Apache band of the later day Navajo, whoa t the moment were settled outside of Acoma,e he thought that they should all fight, but as one. United under a everlasting confederation, should they win or lose. Many of the cheifs were eager to not lose their culture to the Mexica, but they did not wish to lose their independance either. Eventually, Goyathlay prevailed, convincing most of the assembled to a confederation that ever man, Pueblo or Apache would be equal, and the powers of each Mesa and community would be respected. Though, knowing that the communities that did not agree could fracture the new alliance, and that ever warrior was needed, Goyathlay quickly in a month long campaign toppled the leaders of the non joining Mesas and communities, which succeeded without causing many deaths to either side.
So united under the Pueblo-Apache Confederation, the confederate forced met the forces of the Mexica at Acoma. In a three day battle, the confederate forces managed to out pace and lure the vanguard forces of the Mexica army into ambushes and traps at first, slowly pitching down on the third day that left both sides bloody. This battle was known as The Battle of Sky City.
Though the Mexica still had more men and might, they could have conquered then and their, were it not for a major invasion amongst the nomads of northern Mexico the Mexica had left mostly unharmed. As well as the Mexica general seeing this far north as a worthless place. So the Mexica army retreated, and the Pueblo-Apache Confederation was saved.
With the threat of the Mexica gone, some of the communities wished to go their own way again, but Golathay had married into the Pueblo people, as well as making many allies amongst Apache and Pueblo, and seeing that the Mexica might come back. Using his power as leader and his allies, he forced the Pueblo-Apache Confederation together, silencing those who wished to leave. Eventually, at a meeting at Acoma the communes formed a law system, that would treat every member of the Confederation fairly and was the second "Democracy" after the Iroquois League.....
Meanwhile, just abit to the east in Texas, the Commanche had quickly taken to the horse, and their grazing lands were spreading north into the Great Plains.......
Next Thread Timeline:240 Ming-Mexica-Peru: The Commanche and The Mississippians.
