Atlantis 1550-1600 (Chaos)

Since ~1550: Despite France expanding in the Mississippi area, the importance of North Atlantis falls (although the trade with fur and tobacco continues), while the Caribbean (with its sugar riches) becomes more important. The parts of the sugar mills (of which thousands are built) are an important step towards an industrial revolution.

Cuitláuac starts reconquering lost lands in Northern Mexico, extending to the Atlantic and Pacific again.

After Mexico, the Inca lands adapt a pidgin version of French for communication with the Europeans.

1550: Mining experts from Europe teach the Inca new techniques to get more silver from OTL Potosi. The Inca use their new riches to buy weapons and tools, and later books and machines from Europeans.

1551-56: At the council of Ghent, the delegates from the various nations also have to decide who should own which Caribbean island, since there are now seven nations represented (counting E-C-P as only one). There's a lot of confusion who discovered which island first, which contrasts with who officially took claim and who settled where first. At the end, all the smaller powers get a few islands, but most hope to change the situation.

1552: Castillians go up the Rio Grande, found settlements along it, to put a wedge between the French in the Mississippi valley and the Mexica. Later, those colonies become Texas.

Silver discovered in Zacatecas.

1553: French send an expedition to North Atlantis, discover the Hudson and James Bays, found colonies here, which are called Quebec.

Plagues hit Inca empire, killing a great percentage of the population. Chibcha in the North and several more (like the Aymara) in the South become practically independent again.

1554: Braunschweig-Lüneburg forms its second province in Atlantis, called Waldstätten (OTL Pennsylvanian Appalachians). Experienced woodcutters and sawmill builders are invited there from as far as Switzerland. Second plague hits Central Atlantis.

1557: English claim the Brazilian coast down to OTL Recife. The area is called Braseal, after the Brazilwood.

1559-61: French send an expedition up the Mississippi and Arkansas, found (St. Louis). The Mississippi area is named Louisiana after the newborn son of the king (who'll die two years old, but that's another story), since there's already a Carolina and a New France around.

1560s: Inca empire conquers the southern Andes, now rules them from the Caribbean to Terra del Fuego.

1562: King Henry of E-C-P appoints a viceroy residing at Santiago (at OTL Havana's site) who coordinates governmental activities in the five capitanates / captainships: Caribbea (the islands, except Jamaica, which is under the English crown), Florida, Texas, Mayaland (collective term for all of Central America between the lands of the Tenochca and the French in Panama) and South Atlantis (OTL North Columbia, Venezuela).

1564: French build some ships in the Pacific, sail down the coast of South Atlantis, cartographing it.

1565: English expedition reaches Cape Hoorn from the east. The area south of the equator stays barely settled, though.

1570: French trading with the Inca bring the potato from the Inca empire to Europe. At first, it's treated as a curiosity, or as medicine.

1571: With the help of his French advisors, Inca ruler Sayri Tupaq manages to stabilize his rule in the center of the old empire.

1572/73: An English expedition explores the area of the river Amazon, reaches the Inca Empire from the East.

1581: A Castillian expedition crosses the Arizona desert, until they reach the Pacific.

1583: Second big plague in the reduced Inca empire.

1586: Third plague hits Central Atlantis. When the dust has settled, only 6 of 15 million Mesoatlanteans survive (and that's still better than OTL!)

Another Castillian expedition goes up the Pacific coast of Atlantis, coming to the San Francisco Bay.

1589: French explore the source of the Tennessee river, find the way to Italia Nuova.

1590: E-C-P founds the sixth capitanate, of California.

1595: French start building a small fleet at the Great Lakes. Chachapoyas in the forests of Peru pay allegiance to the Inca again.

1597: Axayacatl II of Mexico starts to expand the Mexica Empire after long time again.