Well, after the "Success" of my Noah, Atlantis, and Babylon thing that I posted not too long ago here (well, more successful than most of my other topics in OT), I have decided to spend half an hour of my life wasted in order to type a new article about a subject from Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card, and maybe even inspire you to read it.
As he said in his acknowledgements:
So, here goes nothing.
------------->
What if Christopher Columbus had not set on his quest to find the Americas?
Now, I think that people have published that by the time Christopher Columbus came to the Aztecs, their empire was falling. Conditions even worsened by the time Cortez came, as the Aztec empire was suffering from rebellions and other problems from their government system. Even if Cortez had not come, it is now common knowledge (I think) that the Aztec Empire would have fallen, anyways, also because of Moctezuma II's changes to the empire that the structure could not support (mostly, social mobility).
Their bloodthirsty culture's conquest goes like this: They take over somewhere and they sacrifice all the able-bodied men to their God. They leave enough to keep the city from falling under its own weight.
But as the empire grew larger and larger, they had to sacrifice more and more. And, of course, nobody liked this. Before, human sacrifice was an honor. But now, families were being torn apart and all the other effects, and it didn't seem so sacred anymore.
One of the most demoralizing conquests of the Aztec Empire was its conquest of the Tlaxcalan Empire. The empire was practically a neighbor to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, and the Aztec Empire completely surrounded Tlaxcalan. Yet, the Aztec have failed to conquer it in all its history.
Because of this, we know that obviously the Tlaxcalan had to either have had a better military, government, social structure, or technology. Whatever it was, if Columbus had never found the Americas and Cortez never had came (because the Spanish had no urgent interest in pursuing a sea route to the Orient, and the only ones who did were the Portugese, who were trying to go around Africa) then the Tlaxcalan would most likely have taken advantage of the falling Aztec Empire and moved in to take its place. Think of the Persian Empire and the Chaldeans. It would have implemented its better military, government, social structure, or technology and would have not had the same problems that the Aztec had...speculatively. But from what they had already conquered before the Aztecs failed, they had a rigid government, like that of the rising Assyrians long ago on a distant continent (also speculation).
Once they did, the Tlaxcalan would have united trade of those who were once separated. For example, the Tarascans nearby have already discovered bronzeworking. What is stopping the Tlaxcalan of uniting those great advances?
Another major difference is their Gods. The Tlaxcalan sacrificial God is Camaxtli, the God of War. The Aztec God was Huitzilopochtli, just an all-around God. Sacrifices would now only have to be made after war, when Camaxtli had helped the Tlaxcalans defeat the enemy and needs some thanks. So, this implemented, if the Tlaxcalans were smart enough to withstand the surrounding Aztecs, they would be able to realize that sacrifices were only needed to be made after a lot of fighting. So, if a target city resisted, they would be fought over and then mass sacrificed. If a target city gave into their power, there would be very little sacrifice. They had a reason not to rebel, which the Aztecs lacked. Also, their advanced trade of technology would have created weaponry that many feared. Remember Rome? IIRC this was similar to how they grew - their new additions came almost willingly.
But now, even if they outrageously would have discovered Iron Working (which I doubt), they most likely would have found a city out of all their conquests that was experimenting with creating more than a single-log canoe. Maybe by binding three logs they could make a bigger one? But until now they had been stifled, becuase they did not have enough tools. But if bronze working spread there way, what was stopping them?
The peaceful Caribs and the Taino that Columbus encounted (well, the Taino at least) were brought there by expansion of old Yucatan cultures. But they did not keep a steady trade connection. Why would they? Their boats were too small for trade to have any major benefit.
But with these new boats inter-island trade would become useful (even the inadequate ones before the shipbuilders received bronzeworking), and the Tlaxcalans might have brought in the Caribs and Taino with them as well. The Carribeans would be Tlaxcalan territory.
So back home, the Tlaxcalan have conquered much because of their God of War backing them up. Eventually, with the Columbian to the south and the deserts to the north, they would have nowhere to conquer left (that would be economically beneficial, of course). Anywhere that they conquer else now would give them more loss than gain because of the physical geographical barriers.
But they need blood. Their God demands it. Now that there is no place to conquer, there is no blood to feed their God.
Well, back to Europe. You really didn't think that the Mesoamerican cultures could actually catch up in technology to the Europeans, who were over an "era" ahead, right? (According to Civ3's definition of technology).
There is some evidence that the Portugese were looking into a westward conquest independantly from Columbus. But history shows that when they launched it, they reached the barren shores of Brazil, where there is no fruit in colonization. But they go northward more and more until they reach the Carribeans. Just like Columbus did.
Only by now, so much time later, they would not find the peaceful Taino. They'd find the blood-starved God of the Tlaxcalan.
Whatever doubts the Tlaxcalans had before were quickly appeased by the food surplus triggered by the sudden plague of smallpox that swept through them. The white men had big ships, muskets, and armor. The Tlaxcalan would not be slow to tear them apart and learn how to build them themselves, no doubt with the help of frightened Europeans who trembled as their own were sacrificed to the God of War.
Every few years the Portugese would send enough people trying to find the route to the Orient, but nobody would come back. What about those people who had found Brazil? The Portugese knew that there was something out there. But they could not reach it.
Eventually with an accumulation of what technology Europe had to offer the Tlaxcalan set off with their newly found caravels. This time the plagues that wiped out the Mesoamericans in our history would work against the Europeans. They would suffer from the syphills and lues brought from Mesoamerica, while the Tlaxcalans were immune from already experiencing the plauges themselves beforehand.
The divided empire of Europe in the 1500's-1600's would be quick to offer alliances, betrayals, and the like, all for the fear of ritual sacrifice. They had never seen anything this barbaric practiced by people who had the fury to wipe out their lands. God, Gold, and Glory. Those three were the incentives of Spanish conquest. It would work the other way, as well.
With the rigid structure of the sacrificial ceremonies, there is little hope that they would throw off their traditions like Europe threw off slavery.
*end article*
I'm pretty sure I missed a few key points. Oh well. It took me half an hour to type. I must have no life.
As he said in his acknowledgements:
Orson Scott Card said:
So, here goes nothing.
------------->
What if Christopher Columbus had not set on his quest to find the Americas?
Now, I think that people have published that by the time Christopher Columbus came to the Aztecs, their empire was falling. Conditions even worsened by the time Cortez came, as the Aztec empire was suffering from rebellions and other problems from their government system. Even if Cortez had not come, it is now common knowledge (I think) that the Aztec Empire would have fallen, anyways, also because of Moctezuma II's changes to the empire that the structure could not support (mostly, social mobility).
Their bloodthirsty culture's conquest goes like this: They take over somewhere and they sacrifice all the able-bodied men to their God. They leave enough to keep the city from falling under its own weight.
But as the empire grew larger and larger, they had to sacrifice more and more. And, of course, nobody liked this. Before, human sacrifice was an honor. But now, families were being torn apart and all the other effects, and it didn't seem so sacred anymore.
One of the most demoralizing conquests of the Aztec Empire was its conquest of the Tlaxcalan Empire. The empire was practically a neighbor to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, and the Aztec Empire completely surrounded Tlaxcalan. Yet, the Aztec have failed to conquer it in all its history.
Because of this, we know that obviously the Tlaxcalan had to either have had a better military, government, social structure, or technology. Whatever it was, if Columbus had never found the Americas and Cortez never had came (because the Spanish had no urgent interest in pursuing a sea route to the Orient, and the only ones who did were the Portugese, who were trying to go around Africa) then the Tlaxcalan would most likely have taken advantage of the falling Aztec Empire and moved in to take its place. Think of the Persian Empire and the Chaldeans. It would have implemented its better military, government, social structure, or technology and would have not had the same problems that the Aztec had...speculatively. But from what they had already conquered before the Aztecs failed, they had a rigid government, like that of the rising Assyrians long ago on a distant continent (also speculation).
Once they did, the Tlaxcalan would have united trade of those who were once separated. For example, the Tarascans nearby have already discovered bronzeworking. What is stopping the Tlaxcalan of uniting those great advances?
Another major difference is their Gods. The Tlaxcalan sacrificial God is Camaxtli, the God of War. The Aztec God was Huitzilopochtli, just an all-around God. Sacrifices would now only have to be made after war, when Camaxtli had helped the Tlaxcalans defeat the enemy and needs some thanks. So, this implemented, if the Tlaxcalans were smart enough to withstand the surrounding Aztecs, they would be able to realize that sacrifices were only needed to be made after a lot of fighting. So, if a target city resisted, they would be fought over and then mass sacrificed. If a target city gave into their power, there would be very little sacrifice. They had a reason not to rebel, which the Aztecs lacked. Also, their advanced trade of technology would have created weaponry that many feared. Remember Rome? IIRC this was similar to how they grew - their new additions came almost willingly.
But now, even if they outrageously would have discovered Iron Working (which I doubt), they most likely would have found a city out of all their conquests that was experimenting with creating more than a single-log canoe. Maybe by binding three logs they could make a bigger one? But until now they had been stifled, becuase they did not have enough tools. But if bronze working spread there way, what was stopping them?
The peaceful Caribs and the Taino that Columbus encounted (well, the Taino at least) were brought there by expansion of old Yucatan cultures. But they did not keep a steady trade connection. Why would they? Their boats were too small for trade to have any major benefit.
But with these new boats inter-island trade would become useful (even the inadequate ones before the shipbuilders received bronzeworking), and the Tlaxcalans might have brought in the Caribs and Taino with them as well. The Carribeans would be Tlaxcalan territory.
So back home, the Tlaxcalan have conquered much because of their God of War backing them up. Eventually, with the Columbian to the south and the deserts to the north, they would have nowhere to conquer left (that would be economically beneficial, of course). Anywhere that they conquer else now would give them more loss than gain because of the physical geographical barriers.
But they need blood. Their God demands it. Now that there is no place to conquer, there is no blood to feed their God.
Well, back to Europe. You really didn't think that the Mesoamerican cultures could actually catch up in technology to the Europeans, who were over an "era" ahead, right? (According to Civ3's definition of technology).
There is some evidence that the Portugese were looking into a westward conquest independantly from Columbus. But history shows that when they launched it, they reached the barren shores of Brazil, where there is no fruit in colonization. But they go northward more and more until they reach the Carribeans. Just like Columbus did.
Only by now, so much time later, they would not find the peaceful Taino. They'd find the blood-starved God of the Tlaxcalan.
Whatever doubts the Tlaxcalans had before were quickly appeased by the food surplus triggered by the sudden plague of smallpox that swept through them. The white men had big ships, muskets, and armor. The Tlaxcalan would not be slow to tear them apart and learn how to build them themselves, no doubt with the help of frightened Europeans who trembled as their own were sacrificed to the God of War.
Every few years the Portugese would send enough people trying to find the route to the Orient, but nobody would come back. What about those people who had found Brazil? The Portugese knew that there was something out there. But they could not reach it.
Eventually with an accumulation of what technology Europe had to offer the Tlaxcalan set off with their newly found caravels. This time the plagues that wiped out the Mesoamericans in our history would work against the Europeans. They would suffer from the syphills and lues brought from Mesoamerica, while the Tlaxcalans were immune from already experiencing the plauges themselves beforehand.
The divided empire of Europe in the 1500's-1600's would be quick to offer alliances, betrayals, and the like, all for the fear of ritual sacrifice. They had never seen anything this barbaric practiced by people who had the fury to wipe out their lands. God, Gold, and Glory. Those three were the incentives of Spanish conquest. It would work the other way, as well.
With the rigid structure of the sacrificial ceremonies, there is little hope that they would throw off their traditions like Europe threw off slavery.
*end article*
I'm pretty sure I missed a few key points. Oh well. It took me half an hour to type. I must have no life.
