And the story of the strange feather-wearing colonists continued....
Spain and Portugal[]
A Quetzalcoatl statue in Madrid. You can see the resemblance to both Aztec and Spanish influences.
The two hastily erected kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula were Spain and Portugal. Previously, Muslim influence in the area had been very strong. But after the Mayans took Morocco, the Islamic world had far better things to do than to convert that little peninsula. Directly after the fall of Morocco, the Kingdoms of Portugal and Spain were erected. Both strongly Roman Catholic, they sought to convert as many people as possible and to drive the evil Mayans back into the Hellish Nightmare from which they came. Christopher Columbus and those who thought that Spaniards could travel to those strange lands were executed for heresy. Many more also meet that fate. The majority of people thought that these were needed measures, and supported their King.
In 1470, the two kingdoms embarked on a joint invasion of Southern France. The Invasion of was a complete success, but territory disputes about how to divide the land weren't very helpful.
The following year, the Aztec Emperor Axayacatl I decided that it was time to cross the vast atlantic ocean. The ocean itself had been given a somewhat mythological status, and some believed that it was the pathway to the spirit world. Religious clerics say it as a way to convert people, and get sacrifices to appease the gods.
Graffiti based on Aztec Symbols in Lisboaku
But most traveled across it for money, and for glory! Many saw it as a way to get out of the immense poverty that had hit the Aztec homeland.
So in 1473, the Aztec army which was fully equipped with plenty guns, and a priest who continually assured the soldiers that victory would come, embarked on an invasion of Spain and Portugal.
The Mayan Emperor Bolontiku IV was informed of the attempted invasion. Not wanting the Aztecs to get a foothold in the land that had been named Europa (the Mayans greatly admired the teachings of the ancient Greeks) so he alerted the Portuguese and Spaniards of the oncoming invasion.
At first the two nations were in a state of complete mayhem, as both of them thought that there was no possible way to defeat the mighty Aztecs, but the Mayans taught them many things, so as to prepare them for the oncoming onslaught.
Both nations had already developed primitive guns, so it was easy to manufacture the more advanced Mayan ones. Spanish scholars learned from the Maya that no horses or wild dogs existed in Meshikou. After telling this to the two crowns of Iberia, both Kings decided to as many of this animals as possible so as to frighten the Aztec. The Maya sent spies aboard the Aztec ships that were preparing to launch. They were sent to spread rumors of wild demons in Iberia.
Red "Velvet" Death[]
As both Spain and Portugal had expected, the Aztecs landed not far from the Portuguese capital Lisboa. Thousands of troops from all over Europe were stationed in the city. Among them however, were thousands of diseases that were prone to kill any Aztec. When a small scouting party of 35 men was dispatched, none returned. They were all spies pretending to be Mayan diplomats, so the soldiers could not have killed them. Soon, when local townspeople traveled to the army, it became apparent that there were many deadly diseases on this strange land. Immediately after this was discovered, the emperor called his troops back.
He and his army sailed to nearby Mayan Morocco. This alarmed the Mayans who thought that he was trying to attack. But they were surprised when he came bearing the white flag of peace. He proposed to the Mayan leaders that the Aztec and Mayan Empires should work together to combat diseases that were harmful to non-natives.
At first many Mayan chiefs were strongly against it. The Aztecs were the only rivals to the power of the great Mayan empire.
A European inscription of the symptoms of one of the many plagues.
And many thought the new plan would only benefit the Aztecs (there were no such deadly plagues outside of Europa), but after a while Mayans decided that they too may one day take portions of Europa (although this never happened).
After it became an established idea that a cure for such a disease was needed, many brought up the fact that the Aztecs would be no help. After all, the Mayans were the undisputedly most technologically advanced nation. The Mayans could create a cure themselves, and then keep it all for themselves. This is what they ended up doing, but the Mayans greatly underestimated the value of the Aztec Spy network which was a valuable source of stolen information.
Many of the cures the Mayans chose were ones that were already in use in Europa, and to a lesser extent Aztlan. Among the most gruesome of these, was isolating infected people (and those who could be carrying a deadly disease that they themselves were entirely immune) in camps.
Emperor Axayacatl I was happy to hear these and other tactics. He decided on a plan where he would make a raid to Portugal grab some possibly infected people and dump them on the nearest island (there were several islands in the Atlantic ocean). But then someone pointed out the little problem of 'Well if they're on a tightly cramped ship, won't we get get infected too?' and 'We could only carry about a hundred people at a time, there is no way we could have all the infected off that land'. While the Emperor was pondering these problems and more, the mayans decided they needed an all out vaccine. They had by now figured out that the Aztecs had spies among them, so anyone who acted suspicious was quickly executed for treason. Within Months the entire scientific community of the Maya were working from all forms of science to create a vaccine. Thousands of these scientists and many more were quickly killed because of acting suspicious. Before the year 1474, almost all of the deaths were caused by overly protective Mayans, and not by the "Velvet" Death as it became to be called. (Velvet was a European material and the disease was also European) However, this was soon to change.
The Cruel Trick[]
Finally, after a month of trying to figure out how he could use the disease the Emperor Axayacatl I found a solution. He sent thousands of slaves to Spain and Portugal, knowing that they would contract the terrible disease. After about a month of waiting, the slaves that had died from the disease were taken aboard ships bound for the Mayan colonies in Aztlan. They reached Fez, in early 1475. During the last few months, the Mayans had developed a cure for the diseases. The Aztecs were aware of this, but they still didn't know what the cure was. Once the slaves who had gotten infected were released, almost all the Mayans living in the area were killed or severely wounded. Seeing this as a chance to strike, the Muslim launched a Jihad against the Mayans. Morocco was soon in full revolt. It appeared that the only way the Mayans would be able to win would be if they had the Aztecs support. This is what Axaycatl I had in mind all along. When the Mayans came asking for his support, he informed them that they would have to give him the cure. Debate spread like wildfire among the Mayans. "What should we do?" "Our people are dying!" "We can still have more colonies than those Aztecs!"
In the end, the Mayans were forced to give up the cure, The Jihad was stopped by a Mayan and Aztec force, and the Spain and Portugal fell quickly to the Aztecs in 1482.
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