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suppose a virus wipes out most of the old world in 1450 or something, do you think the Aztec empire would still be here today?
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suppose a virus wipes out most of the old would in 1450 or something, do you think the Aztec empire would still be here today?
I wouldn't be so sure. The Tarascans were not as strong as people give them credit for. Sure, they had bronze knives, but they also weren't exactly populous and their prowess really only laid in defeating Aztec expeditionary armies sent to their land. They weren't exactly the kind of people I can see taking Central Mexico. Nor are the Tlaxcallans, for that matter. They were in a worse position, surrounded by the Triple Alliance and militarily weaker. The Mexica were just whittling them away for quite a while until Cortez showed up. I cannot see a way for them to suddenly take Central Mexico. Cholula IIRC already turned their backs on them and once things got really rough I can see Huexotzingo doing the same. The only place that could possibly replace Tenochtitlan as a seat of power in Central Mexico was Texcoco, which was already one of the leading cities of the empire.Nope. Not at all. If it weren't for Cortez or some other European explorer arriving on the coast, I suspect the Aztec Empire was doomed to fall at some point in time. As to who overthrows them and takes up the mantle of being the dominant power in Mexico, I suspect either the Tarascans or the Tlaxcallans to be the ones to replace them. I don't really think there was much of anyone within the Aztec Empire's sphere of influence that could replace Tenochtitlan.
The Zapotecs were a shell of their former selves, the Mixtecs were more powerful by this time. But I have heard that the heirs of 8 Deer Jaguar Claw intermarried with the Zapotec rulers, fusing the most powerful Mixtec and Zapotec lineages, so they might be considered a single grouping in general. And I guess they would be, other than the Triple Alliance members, the most likely people to dominate Central Mexico.I actually agree with Hummingbird. The Tarascans and Tlascalans seem to be the obvious go to alternatives if the Aztec Empire were to fall.
Tlascala might enjoy some expansion and perhaps be the major power in Central Mexico, that is if nothing else replaces Tenochtitlan in Central Mexico. The Empire might simply be reformed into something new, Texcoco is a good candidate her.e
But I would look outside the Aztec sphere of influence to find a true new power. The Aztecs connected most of Mexico and trade would have by now brought products and innovations to some of the fringes that would otherwise not have them. Judging from how they fared against Spanish cultural assimilation, a Zapotec revival would be an interesting path. The Oaxaca valley has a more reliable climate pattern than central Mexico, and easier access to both coasts, if something were to develop here it could become something quite interesting.
Zapotecan revivalism?The Zapotecs were a shell of their former selves, the Mixtecs were more powerful by this time. But I have heard that the heirs of 8 Deer Jaguar Claw intermarried with the Zapotec rulers, fusing the most powerful Mixtec and Zapotec lineages, so they might be considered a single grouping in general. And I guess they would be, other than the Triple Alliance members, the most likely people to dominate Central Mexico.
My question is, would Nahuatl speakers continue to dominate Anahuac? My understanding is that the Nahuatl dialects were widespread in the region for centuries before the Aztecs rose to power, which undoubtedly worked in the Aztecs' favor. Would that factor hinder the rise of an outside language group, like the Purepecha-speaking Tarascans? If not, could an outside language like Purepecha actively replace Nahuatl, or would they to languages be forced to live alongside as with Quechua and Aymara under the Incas?
My question is, would Nahuatl speakers continue to dominate Anahuac? My understanding is that the Nahuatl dialects were widespread in the region for centuries before the Aztecs rose to power, which undoubtedly worked in the Aztecs' favor. Would that factor hinder the rise of an outside language group, like the Purepecha-speaking Tarascans? If not, could an outside language like Purepecha actively replace Nahuatl, or would they to languages be forced to live alongside as with Quechua and Aymara under the Incas?
The Purepecha-speakers were an extremely small minority that ruled a mixed population of Nahuas and other Indian groups. I think it would continue to exist but it'll decline gradually in use like Aymara.
Actually, this is one of the biggest cliches on AH.com. The Aztecs were not nearly as close to collapsing as people generally try to make them look, and they weren't exactly obscure, in addition to create what is probably the largest Mesoamerican state since Teotihuacan (possibly larger, hard to tell how big Teo's empire was), they also had the largest and most advanced city and an advanced society. In any case, they may have had a lot of enemies but they weren't on the verge of collapse. Who'd destroy them? The Tarascans were a frontier people desperately fighting off repeat Aztec invasions. The Tlaxcallans were on the verge of being destroyed by the Aztecs, having been surrounded and being bled out slowly through all the Flower Wars. Without Cortez and his goons they are surely doomed to be crushed.Absolutely not. This is one of the biggest clichés of AH. The Aztecs were on their way out long before Cortez showed up.
The great irony is that, if Europeans had arrived in Mexico even 50 years later, nobody nowadays except specialists would know about the Aztecs--they would be an obscure footnote in Mexican history no better known to the general public than the Olmecs or Toltecs.