> The technological superiority probably wasn't there but the presumed pandemics caused by the contact may still have provided the invaders an advantage.

Assuming there would've been a clash at all. The kingdom of Cusco (precursor to the Incan empire) didn't start its huge expansion until 1438 under the command of Sapa Inca [1]. The Aztecs didn't found their capital until 1325. The Mayas were already past what seems to have been the peak of their civilization [3].

That's not to say there weren't powerful city-states in the region, and they probably would've unified under a shared enemy. If contact with Europeans is any indication, at least some natives would've opted to ally with the newcomers and Mansa Abu-Bakr probably would've done best accepting diplomacy.

If at all. Depending on where they land, they might've encountered land outside the influence of a powerful city-state (and empire). Assuming they would've tried to keep contact with Mali, and so open a permanent route, this could've been huge.

> If nothing else, that would have provided the American natives some additional experience before facing the Europeans.

If going for the theory above, where they settle a colony, perhaps skrimkish and go to war a cuploe of times, but are able to hold their ground, make a couple of allies and keep contact with Africa, they would've introduced the locals to a wealth of new knowledge, technology, and goods. And vice-versa, they would've learned a lot too.

Would it have meant Europeans caught wind of the American continent earlier, and thus colonization would've happened sooner? The black death happened from 1347 to 1351 so Europans at large were busy. The 100 year war between France and England happened from 1337 to 1453. There doesn't seem to have been much happening in Spain in the 14th century [6], but they weren't a single, unified kingdom until the marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon [7] in the 15th century. I wonder if the separate kingdoms would've had the political/economic capital to fund a full-fledged expedition to the Americas.

Portugal was relativley stable, but still seemingly having some quarels with the Spanish kingdoms [8]. In any case, they formed their royal navy in 1317, so they do sound like the country that could've (and would've) jumped to an expedition across the Atlantic soonest had they caught wind of the new world. Except, of course, Africans and Portuguese/Spanish were at war. In fact, Islam and Christianity at large were at war. Would they have caught wind? Would they have believed it? Would Mali had been able to stop them from establishing long-lasting colonies in the Americas?

I guess we'll never know and this comment is already getting too long, but it's interesting to think about nonetheless. The world would probably be a very different place for sure though.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Empire#Kingdom_of_Cusco

[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztecs#Mexica_migration_and_fo...

[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_civilization#Postclassic_...

[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

[5]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Years%27_War

[6]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Spanish_history#14...

[7]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile#Birth_of...

[8]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal_in_the_Middle_Ages#Af...