I’m reading 1491 right now, fascinating book. At one point it describes a pre-Colombian society in the bone dry areas of coastal Peru that subsisted primarily off seafood. And while they did have agriculture it was only to grow cotton. This throws a wrench in the assumption that all societies form by developing subsistence agriculture.
Great book. I read that one forever, but I really should read more about Pre-Colombian society again. I saw that one recommended when I was super into my Guns, Germs, and Steel phase, and I was looking for alternatives that were more appreciated by actual historians lol.
Really the only thing that really mattered was germs.
When the white devils invaded from Spain/Europe they managed to pull off some stunning coup d’etats with their shitty little pew-pew rifles, canons, and horses, but eventually the Inca etc (while caught off guard initially) learned to adapt.
They learned that on flat land if you were up against horses you were dead. But on mountainous terrain all they had to do was roll a fucking boulder down the hill and crush everyone to death. Lmao.
They also learned that they could tie 2/3 stones together with rope or alpaca intestine and swing them at horses legs from a distance, tying them together and tripping them so they fell on their faces. Easy peazy.
However, ultimately what mattered the most was smallpox. The filthy, disgusting, savage euros (most of whom had never bathed once in their fucking lives) had been exposed to the virus since childhood, so it was no big deal. But to the people in the new world it was devastating.
What made them so vulnerable is that the population that travelled across the Bering Strait were comparatively small in number to the general world human population, and did not have a lot of genetic diversity, rendering them uniquely vulnerable to diseases in general, but especially from Europe (who also had never, EVER bathed once in their lives, the filthy fucking savages).
Ultimately, the mass death of first nations people was - depressingly - probably unavoidable without modern vaccines.
OR - without colonial conquest. But we all know how capitalism works.
EDIT: One last thing. Probably the coolest thing in this book is how the Inca’s preferred weapon were slings. They would heat up rocks in a fire, wrap them in cloth, and then launch them at the white devils. They would catch fire mid-air, and rain hellfire down on them. I can only imagine the terror that the euros felt watching flaming stones rain down upon their heads on the lands that they were stealing from the indigenous peoples.
EDIT: One last thing. Probably the coolest thing in this book is how the Inca’s preferred weapon were slings. They would heat up rocks in a fire, wrap them in cloth, and then launch them at the white devils. They would catch fire mid-air, and rain hellfire down on them. I can only imagine the terror that the euros felt watching flaming stones rain down upon their heads on the lands that they were stealing from the indigenous peoples.
This imagery has stuck with me ever since I first read the book. So cool!
I’m reading 1491 right now, fascinating book. At one point it describes a pre-Colombian society in the bone dry areas of coastal Peru that subsisted primarily off seafood. And while they did have agriculture it was only to grow cotton. This throws a wrench in the assumption that all societies form by developing subsistence agriculture.
The more you know. 10/10 book.
Great book. I read that one forever, but I really should read more about Pre-Colombian society again. I saw that one recommended when I was super into my Guns, Germs, and Steel phase, and I was looking for alternatives that were more appreciated by actual historians lol.
Just real quick while this is fresh in my head:
Really the only thing that really mattered was germs.
When the white devils invaded from Spain/Europe they managed to pull off some stunning coup d’etats with their shitty little pew-pew rifles, canons, and horses, but eventually the Inca etc (while caught off guard initially) learned to adapt.
They learned that on flat land if you were up against horses you were dead. But on mountainous terrain all they had to do was roll a fucking boulder down the hill and crush everyone to death. Lmao.
They also learned that they could tie 2/3 stones together with rope or alpaca intestine and swing them at horses legs from a distance, tying them together and tripping them so they fell on their faces. Easy peazy.
However, ultimately what mattered the most was smallpox. The filthy, disgusting, savage euros (most of whom had never bathed once in their fucking lives) had been exposed to the virus since childhood, so it was no big deal. But to the people in the new world it was devastating.
What made them so vulnerable is that the population that travelled across the Bering Strait were comparatively small in number to the general world human population, and did not have a lot of genetic diversity, rendering them uniquely vulnerable to diseases in general, but especially from Europe (who also had never, EVER bathed once in their lives, the filthy fucking savages).
Ultimately, the mass death of first nations people was - depressingly - probably unavoidable without modern vaccines.
OR - without colonial conquest. But we all know how capitalism works.
EDIT: One last thing. Probably the coolest thing in this book is how the Inca’s preferred weapon were slings. They would heat up rocks in a fire, wrap them in cloth, and then launch them at the white devils. They would catch fire mid-air, and rain hellfire down on them. I can only imagine the terror that the euros felt watching flaming stones rain down upon their heads on the lands that they were stealing from the indigenous peoples.
This imagery has stuck with me ever since I first read the book. So cool!
The YouTube channel Ancient Americas is really good
My beloved.
Ancient Americas is so babygirl, pookie even. I could kiss them for making that history so accessible
Bro is currently working on a 3rd edition of 1491!
I didn’t even know there was a second!