1491 (Second Edition): New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

by Mann, Charles C.
ISBN: 9781400032051
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Overview

In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.

Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man's first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.

  • Format: TradePaperback
  • Author: Mann, Charles C.
  • ISBN: 9781400032051
  • Condition: Used
  • Dimensions: 8.00 x 1.30
  • Number Of Pages: 576
  • Publication Year: 2006

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  • great read

    Ann F. - 3 years 11 months ago

    Great read, extremely interesting and very well researched and written. Most of what's in that book was not yet known when I graduated high school!

  • I highly recommend this book

    Ruth K. - 5 years 3 months ago

    This is a fantastic novel for anyone looking to learn about North and South America before the Europeans invaded. Mann discusses a vast array of topics including theories on when the first humans arrived on the continents, the agricultural and technological prowess of multiple cultures, and the drastic decline in population after interacting with Europeans. Like any good researcher, Mann brings up opposing view points and presents information to dispel them. Though there’s a lot of information in this book, the prose is approachable and at times even humorous, making this a great novel for anyone even if they don’t have an anthropology or archaeology background.

  • Life prior to Columbus in the Americas is largely unknown.

    Pat H. - 5 years 11 months ago

    It was interesting but I guess I was expecting more first hand color and detail to be available depicting life prior to the European invasion. I’m glad I read it, but it can be summed up quickly. The latest positions postulated by researchers is that there were millions of indigenous people people living throughout the Americas when Columbus arrived. They actually had superior weapons in some cases but were wiped out by epidemics brought about from the very first contact with Europeans due to zero antibodies and markedly less genetic diversity. European versions of the history of the Americas starts after entire indigenous populations had been destroyed. We’re finding archeological evidence to support this position but we have virtually no actual knowledge of life then. In the mean time, here’s some interesting archeological findings and suppositions. What life was like for a Mayan, Incan or other native prior to 1492? We don’t really know.