WI/AHC - French Colony in Central America

What if the French managed to successfully establish a colony in Central America roughly corresponding to the Federal Republic of Central America sans Guatemala/Chiapas (in place of French Guiana and possibly Saint-Domingue / Haiti) and what PODs could allow for such a scenario?

Such a colony in Central America would have potentially given the French the opportunity to build an ATL Nicaraguan Canal, though not sure what other advantages it would have compared to other OTL French colonies in the Americas. Additionally it could have potentially the French a base from which to intervene in the Franco-Mexican wars.
 

Marc

Donor
Much more likely would be a French edition of the British Honduras (Belize). Least problems with other nations that matter, i.e. the British themselves and before the end of the 19th century the United States.
Relatively small, modestly profitable, an extension of the French empire that is low cost. Possible canal if they pick up the right small chunk of real estate - but given how miserably they failed in Panama...
 
So an ATL Francophone area of Central America composed of Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica would indeed be an nonthreatening potentially low cost profitable part of the French Empire, which could further profit from building a canal provided they avoid the OTL failures at Panama.

For better or worse what else could the French do differently in that part of Central America compared to the Spanish or OTL Central American states (e.g. Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica)?
 

Marc

Donor
So an ATL Francophone area of Central America composed of Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica would indeed be an nonthreatening potentially low cost profitable part of the French Empire, which could further profit from building a canal provided they avoid the OTL failures at Panama.

For better or worse what else could the French do differently in that part of Central America compared to the Spanish or OTL Central American states (e.g. Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica)?

That is a rather large chunk of Central America. They might get Honduras fairly easily; Nicaragua is much more a challenge keeping in mind that the British had established a protectorate over the country's Caribbean coast on and off from the 17th century to 1850; El Salvador has little to offer being tucked away on the Pacific; Costa Rica is truly a great place, but hardly worth the effort in the 19th century - think no commercial or mineral resources, and very independent minded yeoman farmers out into the countryside. Now the Colombian province of Panama - if the French were feeling frisky...
 
Spain in the 1830s was in dire enough straits that it was willing to sell Cuba and Puerto Rico to France (but then the King tried to haggle and the Spanish told him to piss off). But this isn't Central America.



The Republic of Yucatan wanted to be annexed by somebody, anybody really. They asked the British, Spanish, and Americans before the Mexicans took them back. France could probably get it pretty easily.

Guatemala would be surprisingly easy. The Belgians had a brief colony in the country called Santo Tomas from 1843 to 1854, when the Belgians abandoned the colony after going broke. Have them sell it to France.


Come to think of it, if France had Santo Tomas and Yucatan, perhaps they could put the squeeze on Guatemala and absorb the country. France could proclaim it the restored Mayan Kingdom of Guatemala (or something along those lines).
 
That is a rather large chunk of Central America. They might get Honduras fairly easily; Nicaragua is much more a challenge keeping in mind that the British had established a protectorate over the country's Caribbean coast on and off from the 17th century to 1850; El Salvador has little to offer being tucked away on the Pacific; Costa Rica is truly a great place, but hardly worth the effort in the 19th century - think no commercial or mineral resources, and very independent minded yeoman farmers out into the countryside. Now the Colombian province of Panama - if the French were feeling frisky...

Nicaragua would be the only territory of value for the French in this TL, keen on the French incorporating more such as Honduras with El Salvador only included provided it was a part of the former. Leaving just Costa Rica left over, depending on whether it is not swallowed up by Panama.

Spain in the 1830s was in dire enough straits that it was willing to sell Cuba and Puerto Rico to France (but then the King tried to haggle and the Spanish told him to piss off). But this isn't Central America.



The Republic of Yucatan wanted to be annexed by somebody, anybody really. They asked the British, Spanish, and Americans before the Mexicans took them back. France could probably get it pretty easily.

Guatemala would be surprisingly easy. The Belgians had a brief colony in the country called Santo Tomas from 1843 to 1854, when the Belgians abandoned the colony after going broke. Have them sell it to France.


Come to think of it, if France had Santo Tomas and Yucatan, perhaps they could put the squeeze on Guatemala and absorb the country. France could proclaim it the restored Mayan Kingdom of Guatemala (or something along those lines).

Interesting. Given OTL British involvement in the area via the Caste War would it be possible for the establishment of a Maya state compassing Guatemala, Yucatan, Chiapas and Belize to be more of a French-British venture with the right PODs (am assuming the British would have an alternative to Belize in this ATL)?
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Monthly Donor
What about a far earlier option? France aggressively competes with Spain in Caribbean once the word of Columbus's discovery spreads. Tordesillas? Ignore it. War of Religion? Won't be a problem for another generation. In their wanderings around the same general area, the French end up with some Central American territory and hold on to it for the long haul. Maybe it is a comparatively small enclave surrounded by much larger Spanish domains. Alternatively, if the French are the first in Panama, maybe they they are in pole position to get Peru and points in South America, while the Spanish still advance into Mexico and Florida via Cuba.

Or, if French Central America gets its start in Honduras, maybe this leads to French Mexico, but the Spanish have points further south.
 
What about a far earlier option? France aggressively competes with Spain in Caribbean once the word of Columbus's discovery spreads. Tordesillas? Ignore it. War of Religion? Won't be a problem for another generation. In their wanderings around the same general area, the French end up with some Central American territory and hold on to it for the long haul. Maybe it is a comparatively small enclave surrounded by much larger Spanish domains. Alternatively, if the French are the first in Panama, maybe they they are in pole position to get Peru and points in South America, while the Spanish still advance into Mexico and Florida via Cuba.

Or, if French Central America gets its start in Honduras, maybe this leads to French Mexico, but the Spanish have points further south.

It is possible.

Am envisioning a French Central American colony bordering Costa Rica in the south (that may or may not be absorbed by an ATL Gran Colombia) given it is not worth the French colonizing and either Mexico, Guatemala (or ATL French / Anglo-French-backed Maya state) in the north.
 
Maybe the French purchase the territory in which they tried to build the Panama canal? Another option would be for the French to pull a "New Providence" and exiled huguenots to stablish a colony in the Atlantic shore of Central America.
 
Another option would be for the French to pull a "New Providence" and exiled huguenots to stablish a colony in the Atlantic shore of Central America.

A Central American Huguenot dominated state (let's provisionally dub it "New Aquitaine" until a better name comes along) sounds interesting.
 
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