Aztec-Maya Empire

The Aztec-Maya Empire (also informally known as the Mayazteca Empire) was an empire jointly formed by the Aztec Empire and the Maya peoples and which battled against surrounding tribes for expansion. It was formed circa 1450 AC, and is the predecessor to the Mayaztinca Empire. At the empire's nominal end, it spanned from Mexico to Panama, including Xochico (a colony on the southern peninsula of North America), all nearby islands, and some territory on the northern coast of South America.

At the time, it had positive relations with the Inca Empire and all other minor native tribes in North and South America. However, initial colonization and conflicts with Europeans (particularly the Knights of St. John) left a culture of disdain in the empire's population for people of similarly pale skin tone.

Formation
In the midst of conquering tribes for their tributes, the Aztec leadership saw the knowledge and skill of the Maya as beneficial for the future of their reign. Taking advantage of a splitting Maya kingdom, they approached the leadership of the strongest region with an offer to help conquer the surrounding tribes, and in exchange they would join their empire, with Maya rulers having equal status as Aztec rulers. After much hesitation on making a decision, the leadership reluctantly agreed. Thus, after many battles with tribes such as the Chontales and Chactemal, the newly formed Aztec-Maya leadership now ruled over the Yucatan peninsula and much of southern Mexico.

Expansion
After their success, the leadership came up with a plan to expand their region of influence out towards the Caribbean. With the help of the Maya's understanding of math, the leaders instructed their people to build boats capable of transporting goods and groups of people. These would send trades with any potential tribes on the islands. At the island of Cuba, they encountered the Guanahatabeyes, Ciboney, and Taínos, of which only the Taínos seemed to have any surplus to trade. Warriors were then ordered to guard the coastlines of the island. When expanding further east, the empire performed similar tasks with Haiti and the remaining islands, with occupying tribes giving tributes in exchange for joining the empire if they were capable of producing surplus.

Paranoid over potential enemies and the desire to ensure their current rule, lookouts were built over the various islands to keep watch for unfamiliar boats or ships sailing the seas. These lookouts would inform other warriors at night by using fire signals. After furthering combing the islands for anything valuable, some Mayaztecs had found silver. The empire then began building weapons for defending the islands, such as trebuchets and catapults for attacking any foreign ship that approached shore.

From there, the expansion redirected itself northwards. The empire sent various people to explore and colonize the North American peninsula and called the newly established area Xochico, for "land of flowers". The abundant lakes and swamps were familiar territory that Mayaztecs could navigate using their current transportation methods with ease. From this colony, the empire received light armor from reptiles such as alligators, and poisons which could be used on arrows to ensure enemy death. South of the Caribbean, the empire sent another colony to live next to Lake Maracaibo with the task of creating friendly relations with neighboring tribes.

Naples colonists and infection
Soon afterwards, a Naples expedition had arrived near where some Mayaztecs who were mapping out the east North American coast. Upon seeing such strange, white-skinned people, they immediately returned to Xochico to inform the provincial general of the foreigners' arrival. With a small number of armed peoples for protection, the general went with the cartographers to investigate.

Upon arrival, the Naples colonists were frightened by the armed natives that had appeared before them, and decided to escape. Since they had not unloaded all their supplies yet, they re-boarded their ship and fled north. The Mayaztec encountering these new people, along with seeing their unusual behavior of leaving upon their arrival, peaked the Mayaztec's curiosity about them. They decided to follow them in an attempt to clear up any misunderstandings. The cartographers rejoiced at the thought of mapping out the entirety of the coast.

Upon eventually finding the colonists crash-landed on a large island, they tried letting them know they meant no harm, but it was to no avail. When the colonists saw that the same natives had followed them all the way, they started killing their own people with guns, some even committing suicide. Though they barely understood the new technology these people were using, they quickly realized what was happening and tried to stop these people from killing themselves, but it was too late; those who didn't immediately die eventually did from bleeding or infection. Having witnessed such a bizarre event, the Mayaztecs had casted these foreigners as insane. They deemed the island as cursed and left as soon as possible.

Around the same time, the empire had extended to the Huastec populous, and warriors along the east coast of Haiti had found a floating body wrapped in cloth. Not wanting the smell of cooked decaying flesh on the beach, they figured it would be a good idea to give it to the farmers as fertilizer. Locals who had heard of this considered it an omen of things to come.

Breakout
On the way back from the expedition, some individuals became sick, contracting some unknown disease the empire had not seen before. It seemed like nothing was able to cure it; people could only tend to the person as best as possible and hope for the best. The provincial general had taken the proper precautions set by the rulers for treating such a disease and created a quarantined area for them to stay. Food and water from the empire were dropped off for them.

It seemed like things were going well for a few years when the disease had managed to break out of the quarantine. The provincial general, to ensure the safety of everyone else in the empire, warned any travelers and transporters at the docks who had just arrived to return immediately to the mainland and warn the rulers of the situation.

Rulers suspected if the Xochico colony was trying to become independent from the empire, considering the colony didn't have a ruler to represent them in the empire. However, they barely had any farms to sustain themselves, and would therefore have to depend on the empire's supplies anyways, which likely meant the news about the foreigners and the disease were true. One of the rulers who knew the general very well and promoted him confirmed that he was loyal to the empire, easing the others about any suspicions.

After some years and supplies of food and water dropped off, the provincial general reopened the colony. A significant part of the colony had become contaminated, and it was estimated hundreds had died, maybe even thousands; but after a few years with no new infections, and with most with the illness recovered, the general deemed the colony safe again.

Arrival of the colonies
Arrival of Timurid; acceptance of horses and galleons as gifts. Fighting with the Knights. More fighting. Even more fighting. Then passive-aggressive fighting. Formation of the Timurid and Native Alliance as a result of so much fighting with Knights. Started roads across North America as test of labor power. Encounter white people from the north. Try to fight them but they escaped.

Southern development
Knights try to expand but instead are surrounded and the empire grows bigger. Build roads which connect to roads of Inca Empire. Encourage trade with them, along with everyone else across the continent. Use compass from Timurids to find iron deposits for making armor. Discovery of oil and its uses.

Science and technology
Iron armor, grenades

Trade
After its formation, the empire quickly began fostering friendly relations with surrounding tribes by trading with them. Trading initially consisted of exchanges in different types of crops, evolving a very varied diet for any people open to trading. The Taíno gave yuca, sweet potato, and maize; Veracruz produced vanilla, corn, beans, and chili peppers; Tairona provided salt; and somewhat later, the Timurid Empire gave coffee and breadfruit plants. As a result, many tribes would go on to join the empire, giving them the advantage of having easy access to a tribe's unique resources, with the ability to produce more if desired by investing in manpower and knowledge to do so. With unique crops in its possession found only in the New World, the empire had very lucrative trade, especially with outside nations.

Non-food related trades from the tribes included bronze tools and jewels from the Purépecha, cotton from Veracruz, pottery from Tairona, and gold from the Inca. The Timurids also generously traded very advanced and useful goods that helped propel the empire forward, such as Wootz steel, muskets and their smithing techniques, 50 galleons, caravel ship building techniques, Persian silks, British Columbian furs, and horses. It's said that without the help of such benevolent people, the empire would not have survived as long as it had.

Education
Empire realizes their education efforts are too restrictive. Open telpochcalli and calmecac schools to everyone willing to go. Capable students are hired by the empire to advance their technology. Separated by material, mechanical, and medicinal sciences.