Texico (draft): Holy Water
To some, water is the most essential element. Not only does it ensure sanitary living, but the soul needs the cleansing prior to the arrival of the Holy Spirit. If you were to invite God over for dinner, would you not give your house a good cleaning? Wash that infant soul. Because of its obvious importance and tremendous abundance, many steps were taken in the early days of Texico to develop the water purification industry. The process was very simple and required only steam emissions. The abundant ocean waters could be consumed. Privately funded infrastructure was improved and, relatively quickly, the deserts and dust of western Texico became an oasis.
The Pacific Ocean water proved more tasty and fresh. Baja was known as the Pias de Agua--Land of Water. The Gulf water better for irrigation and swimming pools. Gulf mud baths were a luxury for vacationing tourists and locals alike. The Caribbean waters were left alone mostly, but a few private companies had created huge fresh water lakes using the sacred clear water and seafood fed the masses. Along with beef, tomatoes, almonds, cheese, spices and herbs and peppers of a thousand varieties. Texico was a culture focused on its culture. Music was everywhere. The beats were reggae, cajun, honkeytonk, blues. All jazzed up and plugged in. Every night was an event. No better way to end the day. Also, days of the week were abandoned in Texico. Dates were fine, the brilliance of the Mayans, but the Monday - Sunday weekly marker disappeared in Texico. Generally, private employers gave a number of days per year off. The average Texican works about half the days of a year. The rest are sick days, vacation days, birthdays, holidays, sabbath days, family days, and health days. The schools in Texico work in much the same fashion. Education is customized, individualized, and specialized. Technology is used creatively and effectively to provide very low cost education. After only ten years as a nation, the Texican children were the smartest in the world and contributed to innovation of thoughts, ideas, and methods at very early ages. America had its Ivy League; Texico had its Cyber League. Texicans didn't go away to big buildings to get educated, week after week after week. Like voting, school was largely done through the internet. Cheaper, better, customized. The industries of the modern world required a new model from the three R- reading/rightin/rithmatic educations of the poor American children.
Texican water and purification systems would also have major impact abroad as well. By 2050, the Sahara Desert had completely disappeared. Changed, like western Texico, into a lush green bed. The Australian Outback as well. Ice cultivation and earth heating technology, invented by Dr. Dale DeVille, transformed Greenland into a vast prairie region. Innovation was what Texico was known for most and it's relationships with almost all the countries of the world were strong. Relations with America were always tinged with a bit of frost, although mutual interests and business realities kept the peace assured. A war between the nations never occurred.
Once the succession was ratified by America during the Second Louisiana Purchase Agreement in 2020, blood shedding was never considered a prudent action. Although the nations never declared war on each other, border skirmishes were common in the early days of Texico with the Battle of Lake Texoma and the San Diego Incident being the most notorious. The Okies desire for acceptance into Texico was normal, but never had a group of people banned together in tribal unity and violence demanding to become part of nation. This level of intensity was usually reserved for factions of people breaking away from a country. Perhaps that’s what was happening. The Okies, desperate to leave America like the Texans, directed the anger at Texico. Because the Okies had no real guns, the fighting was done through bows and arrows, and knifes. When 2,000 Okies stormed over the Denison dam and marched into downtown Denison announcing their arrival, 20,000 Texico citizens showed up a day later and sent them running back in a haze of shotgun fire. Texicans didn't like their style and saw no future for the Okies in Texico. In San Diego, tunnels were dug to funnel people into Texico from America. This was during the Mexican American and Asian American race war of 2026. The people of San Diego wanted Texico to protect and accept them as their own, but the Californians were insistent on certain demands and the Texicans passed on the deal. Insulted, the San Diego Brigade of the Mexican American army turned it's fury towards Texico. Details are undisclosed, but the Texican Especialista Unidad was called in and the conflict ended quickly. The following day, the Brigade had another commander with a more reasonable attitude towards Texico and tensions subsided.
A pipeline now runs from the Pacific Ocean to the Edwards Aquifer. It is the purest water in all the world, hailed for its healing qualities and mineral content. The holy water of Texico.