Tenochticlan Survives

Tenochticlan Survives:
Somewhat of an Aztec wank. In this world due to complications back at home the spanish do not discover the Americas and instead the Portuguese find it instead. The Portuguese prove far less successful at quelling the Aztec Empire upon its arrival and are driven off. The Aztecs do suffer from disease but the slower colonisation attempts and the fear of a large and powerful local empire keep the Europeans away from Mexico for longer. The Aztecs pick up metallurgy gunpowder and draft animals from traders and wayward colonists which allow the Aztecs to expand once their population recovers.

Despite the best efforts of the Aztecs, the Europeans successfully carve up the rest of the Americas and the Amerindians are subjected to similar atrocities like OTL. The Aztec Empire is reinforced by many Amerindians fleeing the colonies and the Empire later industrialises. The modern Empire of Mexica is an authoritarian and reactionary nation. A parliament was established in the Late 19th Century but it still dominated by the land owning and corporate elites. The priesthood are also significant political figures. Several cultural groups within the empire have managed to retain some autonomy within the empire.

The Mexican religion has evolved since the 16th Century. Human sacrifice is now strictly off the table (though every settlement does slaughter a ceremonial animal every Equinox) and the pantheon has contracted and focuses on the more significant of the Aztec gods. Mexican society is a bit macabre compared to Europeans but also very flamboyant, rich colours and enthusiastic festivities are common. However there is a noticeable disparity between the rich and poor in society and the relatively backward economy is only increasing the disparity.

About 10 years prior, the world finished with its Second World War and the Dutch-Polish Axis now completely dominates Europe and has preserved several of their colonial domains. The Republic of the Netherlands is fascist, racist and very militant. The Netherlands was far more successful than OTL and by the 19th Century had picked up certain ideas concerning nationalism. Because of this, the Dutch not only built a significant empire but also went on to conquer and forcibly unite the other German states. The Netherlands is like OTL a complex system of dykes, a theme that has been incorporated into the Gothic architecture of the republic. Dutch culture is mostly nationalist propaganda with the focus concerning Germanic heritage. Despite loosing their American and Indian colonies, the Netherlands has claimed control of many of France's former colonies. Their control is far looser than their more prized and developed territories to the South. The people of the South African colonies consider the people of the homelands a bunch of wusses who don't know how precarious the situation in Africa really is and aren't capable of doing what is necessary to keep order over the inferior but numerous locals.

The Netherlands closest ally is the Jagiellon Empire of Poland. The Polish Empire is subdivided into several component kingdoms that the ruling Jagiellon is Emperor over. They have had to drop the title of Holy Roman Emperor since the rise of the Dutch but are still the ruling Catholic power and have often browbeaten the Papacy into complying with the demands of their government. Poland is about as oppressive as their Dutch allies but in some different ways. As well as their empire itself, the Polish also rule over numerous puppet states in the Balkans but are having trouble dealing with all the Orthodox Christians and Muslims in the region. Several programs to convert the locals have only produced uprisings. Poland has taken the opportunity to grab a few bits and pieces of territory overseas.

This Axis also runs most of Europe through numerous puppet states. Some are willing allies whilst others were occupied by the Axis in the First and Second World Wars. The use of nuclear weapons in the war threatened the balance of power on the continent and much of the Post War Period has been spent keeping order over their puppets and remaining colonies. Several puppet states are still under military occupation.

The main opponent of the Axis are the United Dominions of the House of Stuart-Hapsburg, a complex system of states and protectorates in a fairly decentralised political entity. The Portuguese failed to keep their more heavily inhabited territories in the Americas and most of them were taken by the English and Spanish once they got their act together. The two nations would experience a better relationship with one another during their histories and would eventually ally against the Dutch-Polish Axis. After the First World War the two houses of the English and Spanish empires united their dynasties and their respective empires which had begun to gain a lot of demographic and economic power over their homelands. The Dominions are officially a Catholic entity but their denomination is secular and nationalised in protest to the Jagiellon control of the Vatican. They are also the refuge of other Christian denominations persecuted by the Dutch Protestants and Jagiellon Catholics.

Several decades before Second World War the central administration of the former empire had been moved from England to North America. This allowed much of the empire to survive long enough for the political reformation. The United Dominion's population has been boosted by the influx of refugees fleeing Europe. Many have been resettled in their remaining colonial territories. The United Dominion's have been divided up into a number of different regional Dominions that govern their respective territories more-or-less independently with each having a branch of the shared royal family on their respective thrones. The divisions between the various Dominions have become increasingly visible, especially as the Asian Dominions blend their indigenous cultures with those of the colonisers.

The Republic of Nueva Galicia is a former Spanish colony that gained independence in the 1830s from the Spanish Empire. Nueva Galicia is conservative, secular and very nationalistic. A far more agricultural based economy and plan of settlement meant that slavery existed for longer before 1903. Nueva Galicia also has problems with the neighbouring Aztec Empire and border disputes across the 18th & 19th Centuries still sour relations. The government is still oligarchic but the increasingly large and influential middle class is beginning to intrude on the traditional families. Nueva Galicia's population is far more creole than our USA due to the different colonisation techniques used by Spain but the actual Amerindian population is very different. The relocations along with the immigration of many to Mexica has changed the ethnic make-up of the tribes.

A stronger and more consolidated Poland warded off Russia. This in turn lead to Russia moving East earlier and further. Russia is now an immense nation but also the most backward. Whilst they do have issues with Muslims, the Russians are most definitely not fascist and are accepting of other more acceptable races such as the Jews. Russia is still industrialising certain regions of their empire and networks of rail-roads connect the cities of the empire. Pollution is becoming a problem in the areas of dense population. Russia still suffers from Muslim terrorism in portions of their empire such as Persia and Afghanistan.

Technology is at roughly the same level as OTL. Culturally and socially the world is far more conservative, religion is still very important in society and gender roles are very important. Political lobbies still exist to argue over matters such as robotics, genetic engineering, equal rights and abortion (still illegal in most nations). The most recent social shift is the successful women's suffrage movement around 30 years ago in the United Dominions.