# Looking for alternate history stories/books about Mexico and Japan **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [November 10, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780 "2026-11-10T16:50:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/1 "2026-11-10T16:50:51Z")
I am looking for alternate history stories/books about Japan colonizing Mexico and maybe parts of Central America. Help? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/2 "2026-11-10T17:13:31Z")
Have you checked [Uchronia](https://www.uchronia.net/)? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/3 "2026-11-10T17:17:02Z")
Can’t find anything there. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/4 "2026-11-10T17:34:00Z")
Neither can I. Uchronia is pretty comprehensive which makes me think nobody has written anything using that idea. I see Aliette De Bodard wrote a series of stories based on the AH that China established colonies in the Americas. But nothing on Japan. Unless you move forward to the 20th century and are looking for AHs where the Axis wins World War II. Then you have works like Philip K. Dick’s _The Man in the High Castle_, William Overgard’s _The Divide_ and C.M. Kornbluth’s “Two Dooms”. All of these, however, focus more on a Japanese occupation of the former United States with the occupation of Mexico and Central America just being in the background. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/5 "2026-11-10T17:39:24Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Unless you move forward to the 20th century and are looking for AHs where the Axis wins World War II. Not really. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/6 "2026-11-11T02:29:26Z")
I just asked the JOF Facebook group and so far they, too, are stumped. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/7 "2026-11-11T19:34:11Z")
Best I can find is China colonizing Mexico, etc., in the 15th century ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/8 "2026-11-11T19:55:31Z")
Well, there are- _How Few Remain,_ Harry Turtledove, which has an alternative Mexican war. _The U.S.-Mexican War of 2017_, Anthony Genualdi. . ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/9 "2026-11-11T19:58:24Z")
And which of these has Japan colonizing Mexico and/or Central America? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/10 "2026-11-11T20:00:56Z")
Neither, sorry, but they were as close as I could come. I think we have already figured there are no books which match exactly what you want. Just trying to be helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/11 "2026-11-12T00:08:22Z")
Here’s a discussion on an alternate history site about how a Japan conquers Mexico scenario might work > **[Mysteries of the Occident timeline](https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/mysteries-of-the-occident-timeline.570675/)** > > a timeline idea where the Eastern powers China India Japan Vietnam South East Asia did all the colonisation that the western powers did in our timeline i have two ways this timeline can start either Xu Fu the alchemist sailor that got lost in our... ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/12 "2026-11-12T00:20:15Z")
I guess I got a little lost while reading it. Could you link to the part where they discuss the scenario of Japan possible conquering Mexico? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/13 "2026-11-12T00:47:20Z")
I was mistaken - the discussion is about east Asian countries becoming colonial powers, but not of the Americas (of Europe instead). D’oh ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/14 "2026-11-12T01:51:43Z")
I seem to remember Japan colonizing North America in “The years of rice and salt” by Kim Stanley Robinson. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/15 "2026-11-12T03:14:22Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > The years of rice and salt I believe that was China. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/16 "2026-11-12T03:20:07Z")
I think you are right, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/17 "2026-11-12T03:25:21Z")
You would think Eric Flint’s vast cornucopia of alternate realities would have panned out… 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/18 "2026-11-12T03:41:57Z")
Here is a very short alternative history story along the broad lines of the op, followed by more reality-based discussion in the comments. \> [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/AlternateHistoryHub/comments/1wh30v6/what_if_japan_had_colonised_whole_south_america/) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/19 "2026-11-12T03:48:33Z")
The story was rough but true to what I requested, and the responses are interesting. But…“Samurai Gauchos”? Damnnice pull. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2026, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780/20 "2026-11-12T05:08:25Z")
Mind my asking? What inspired this particular curiosity? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-alternate-history-stories-books-about-mexico-and-japan/1034780.md?page=2)