If Spain had hung on to Alta California, or at least a pocket of it that included the San Francisco Bay Area, what do you think that area might look like now? What about a hundred years ago?
Would the architecture be different? The food (probably not)? What about the faces you'd see walking down the street -- would they be mestizo or white or what? I know that Mexico doesn't really classify people based on race, but I'm not sure about Spain.
And I'm not even sure I'll be getting into this, but politics with the Americans to the west, what might that be like? The Republic of Texas is also a distinct country.
I'm doing steampunk so I don't feel the need to be 100% accurate; what I'm going for is a Spanish flavor with enough accuracy to convince people that it might have, could have happened.
Oh, and while I have your attention, anyone know any old, dowdy Spanish names that your great-grandmother might be called? A bit like Mildred or Hazel or something in English? I'm naming a main character after another main character's mother, and the name needs to be a little out of style, but hopefully not completely ugly.
Thanks in advance!
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10,004 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2007 - 01 23
Lol. Since this is the plot REALISM thread, and these are 'what if' questions, I think you're pretty much gonna be stuck figuring it out yourself. ;) You'd maybe have more luck if you asked questions about.. say.. the history behind Spanish and American relations ( key events would probably be different had Spain kept Alta California ). Or if you asked about the culture along the Mexican border, how Mexican and Spanish cultures differ, about native history in California ( as in, what was the place like before people 'civilized' it ).
Basically if you read about different things about why the region is the way it is today, you could make a more realistic alternate version. But more importantly: if you as the writer come up with a good story behind the culture/people/language, the readers will be able to believe it. Answers to what ifs are endless and the writer is the one that chooses how realistic the answers are ( and where the questions stop inspiring an overwhelming amount of ideas ).
G'luck! PM me if you need more help with this, I'd be happy to see ya through and help with ideas if you get stuck. :)
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0 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2007 - 07 30
Er... speculation has been something this forum has been willing to engage in for the few years I've been here. (I've selected a new username.) I've done the research, but I need help making it realistic, and having a few other suggestions on the matter always helps, particularly from people who might know more about the regional history than me.:)
9,000 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2007 - 23 01
I'm from the Bay Area, but haven't taken a legit US History class since high school, so from what I remember...well, there'd still be white settlers coming in the early 1800's, yes? The Gold Rush would still have (most likely) happened, bringing that huge rush of settlers and turning San Francisco and the rest of the Bay into what it is today. So (not that it sounds like you are) don't think there's going to be no white influence.
One thing that came to mind--what would Mexico's foreign policy be towards Asian immigrants (Angel Island)? I don't remember exact figures, but Caucasians are in the minority in most of the Bay right now--the other big groups are Hispanics and Asians. So, depending on how you think Mexico would handle immigrants, that's potentially a huge part of the population gone. Think how that would affect Silicon Valley (I KNOW, it's a huge generalization, flame me if you want), the economy of the state and the rest of the country (CA's economy is one of the biggest in the world).
My friends and I joke a lot that California might as well be a separate country, both because of how "we" act and feel compared to the rest of the US and how people from other states and countries seem to view us. So relations to America would probably just be more extreme, but not that different.
50,356 / 50,000
Jun 14, 2008 - 06 46
I suspect Spain would lose the area during the Spanish-American war (1897?) or 1849, with the gold rush, would see a huge influx of 'Mericans and Spain would either get upset or America would invade. Or buy it. We bought a lot of territory (Louisiana Purchase, Alaska, that section of Arizona next to Mexico.) and took others (Hawaii, the midwest, Florida.)
If you're talking about Spain keeping it in the present, despite losing Mexico, then I think it would be up to you to describe the area. Spanish would be spoken (more than now), Spain might be more powerful (what with owning Los Angeles and the Bay area), at least in Pacific trade and trade with the US. On the other hand, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, WA would be much bigger ports (to avoid trading with Japan and China through Spain - California.)
This is off the top of my head so take it with a few grains of salt.
Enjoy.
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