1491: New Revelations of the Americas Earlier than Columbus

On this groundbreaking work of science, historical past, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas earlier than the arrival of Columbus in 1492.
 
Opposite to what so many People study at school, the pre-Columbian Indians weren’t sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; reasonably, there have been enormous numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land round them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had operating water and immaculately clear streets, and was bigger than any up to date European metropolis. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialised breeding course of that it has been referred to as man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Certainly, Indians weren’t residing frivolously on the land however have been landscaping and manipulating their world in ways in which we’re solely now starting to grasp. Difficult and shocking, this a transformative new have a look at a wealthy and interesting world we solely thought we knew.