Random Things That Would Have Happened If Christopher Columbus Missed Americas (14 items)

• 

  (#2) The Aztec Empire Would Have Continued To Grow Through Central America

  Over the course of the 15th century, the Aztecs conquered Central Mexico. Their empire successfully subjugated multiple neighboring territories, consolidating their control. However, one territory remained unconquered: Tlaxcala, east of the Aztec capital in Tenochtitlan.

  In 1519, Hernan Cortes allied with the Tlaxcalans to defeat the Aztec Empire. Without their vital support, Cortes almost certainly would have failed to conquer the Aztecs. And without Cortes's presence, which came as a direct result of Columbus's discovery, the Aztecs almost certainly would have continued their conquest of Mexico, expanding throughout Central America.
• 

  (#5) North American Tribes Would Have Consolidated Into Multiple Adversarial Native American Nations

  Before European contact with North America, several Native American groups were transforming into confederacies. The Iroquois Confederacy, made up of five nations - the Mohawks, Senecas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Oneidas - dominated from the Great Lakes to New York. They often battled the Algonquin nations for territory in the Northeast.

  Prior to Spanish contact, California was home to 300,000 Native Americans broken into about 100 tribes. While relations between tribes were usually peaceful, the separate groups may have consolidated over the 17th and 18th centuries. Aztec expansion might have even reached into California. 

  Without the massive drop in population due to European diseases, plus displacement, forced labor, and extermination, North American tribes might have consolidated into several dominant confederacies that could have controlled large amounts of territory.
• 

  (#9) People In North America Would Speak Dutch Or French

  If Columbus hadn't made it to the Americas, some European voyage would have eventually reached the New World. The Portuguese might have discovered Brazil and concentrated their efforts on colonizing South America. Another European power would have risked the voyage across the North Atlantic to land in North America and found new colonies.

  The most likely European country to colonize North America in the 16th century would have been France. In fact, France did found a massive colony in North America. Instead of competing with the Spanish, France would have colonized much of the East Coast, fighting off Dutch rivals. Instead of winning independence from the British, the United States might have grown out of a French colony, like Canada, or even a Dutch colony. 

  As a result, people in the US would speak French or Dutch instead of English.
• 

  (#10) West African States Would Have Developed Into Their Own Expansive Imperial Powers

  In the 15th century, West Africa was dominated by the Mali Empire. Before Columbus's voyage, Mali dominated a territory larger than Western Europe, applying a sophisticated political system to control its empire. The Mali Empire enriched itself with trade, including important commodities like gold and salt.

  By around 1500, a new dominant power rose in West Africa: the Songhai Empire, which controlled trans-Saharan trade routes. 

  However, West Africa eventually devolved into competing neighboring states, in part because of a new trade network: the Atlantic slave trade. Without European demand for slaves in the New World, West African states like the Mali and Songhai empires would have continued to grow and consolidate power.
• 

  (#6) China Would Remain A Powerful State And Control Trade In Asia

  China's dominant Ming Dynasty sent out its own voyages of discovery during the 15th century. Under Admiral Zheng He, the Chinese fleet traveled to India and Africa. However, the Ming quickly took an isolationist turn, declaring China the only civilized part of the world.  

  While European traders had a presence in China, they had to acknowledge Chinese superiority. European powers, which would have been weaker without their New World colonies, would have struggled to break into the Chinese market, likely playing an even smaller role in Chinese trade. As a result, China would have continued its role as the dominant power in Asia. With less competition from European powers, especially Portugal and the Dutch, China would have controlled trade throughout Southeast Asia.
• 

  (#3) Portugal Would Have Become The Major European Trading Power

  When Columbus set sail to find a western route to Asia, Portuguese explorers had already shown how promising the eastern route might be. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope. Just a decade later, Vasco da Gama sailed to India. Over the course of the 16th century, Portugal established numerous ports on the coasts of Africa, India, China, and even Japan.

  Without competition from Spain's New World, Portugal would have dominated Europe's trade networks. While the Ottomans and Italians might have maintained their power in the Mediterranean, Portugal would have benefited from the wealth of Asian trade. Recently, Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva declared, "The routes that the Portuguese created to connect the continents and oceans are the foundation of the world we inhabit today." In the absense of Spanish competition, Portugal's dominance likely would have been even greater.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking