1038-1194 (285-441 AD) (L'Uniona Homanus)

== The Maya City-States== The change in the political systems of the Maya have left several city states on the verge of war with each other for dominance of the Yucatan region. These were Tikal, Palenque, and Copán primarily, but the strategic position of Uaxactun among these other states allowed it to remain independent despite being much smaller than these other principal neighbors. In OTL the city state of Tikal grew to dominate the region of the Maya ethnic group. Here the Cities remain independent and make many advancements that would not have otherwise occurred.

The Discovery of Gunpowder
Because these small states were all ravaged by battles with each other, especially Uaxactun, they spent many efforts in peacetime looking for ways to out battle their rivals. In the year 1038 (285 AD) the city of Uaxactun, in an effort to look or a gift from the gods in the Earth, found iron deposits in vast quantities. The Uaxactun researchers, who were almost always priests as well, experimented with melting and solidifying the iron. They found that it was very strong and could be formed into knives and swords of greater use than the spears that the city state had been using.

Uaxactun took on the city of Palenque, its rival city state and the one who usually brought its wars into the territory of Uaxactun. Palenque underestimated the small city of Uaxactun, it had always been the weakest militarily of any of these original four Maya states. When the main city of Palenque saw that the Uaxactun army was marching into its streets, the shock to the people and military made them even better targets of the guns of Uaxactun. The quick victory over Palenque in the year 1040 (283 AD) sent waves throughout all of the Yucatan peninsula and the cities of Tikal and Copán were scrambling to find the source of the Uaxactun armies.