Week 13: "No Aliens"

The world would be very different if conquistadors never won against the indigenous people of North America. Imagine if Christopher Columbus actually landed in the place he was intentionally headed towards; Native Americans would never be incorrectly titled as "Indians." Better yet, millions of innocent people would have never been unrightfully killed by guns, germs and steel. This dream is the inspiration for a story about the Aztec and Mayan empire, if their progress was never interrupted. Think of a world filled with a community whose evolution doesn't stop at Hernan Cortes.

Montezuma II is living his best life. He and his empire are expanding their territory by the day and that means more and more enemies are binging returned to be sacrifices for the gods. At the same time, more and more temples are being built for each deity. The Mayans were sharing their calendar with them and together, these two indigenous peoples constructed the largest populated empire to live on Earth. All was well for Montezuma, even his world was enriched with paintings across his buildings walls. The culture was written in art, but Montezuma wanted more.

Yes, the king of the Aztec Empire wanted more. Beyond his lavish coat, eagle head dress, and pearled piercings, Montezuma wasn't satisfied. The boat was invented and with some help of trustworthy allies, the group sailed across the ocean blue. It took many months and desperate measures haunted the memories of those who went on the trip, but finally they touched land. On this new soil, an empire was born again. What challenged them the most were the natives of this land. They were very pale and their architecture featured no temples for the gods. Bothered by this, Montezuma tried to convert these white people to believe in his people's faith. The more advanced weaponry and lifestyle of these aliens intimidated the traveling Native Americans, so a peaceful negotiation was the only chance they had at manifesting their empire.