1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
- Downloads：9789
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-21 08:53:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Charles C. Mann
- ISBN：1400032059
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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。
Reviews
Justin Beach
，
A good， broad， overview of pre-Columbian indigenous cultures in the Americas - especially useful for those of us who got the old， settler version of the topic in school。
Piyush Pathak
，
First half of this book was fantastic - really interesting exploration of the true history behind the things you learn in school （Pilgrims/Mayflower， Columbus， Pizarro， Cortez）， as well as the philosophy， science， and structure of societies of pre-Columbian America。 Paints a very vivid picture of how complex and under-appreciated Indian （as is apparently the correct term and the one used in the book） societies were， including the masterful gold-work， poetry， science/math， to name just a few subj First half of this book was fantastic - really interesting exploration of the true history behind the things you learn in school （Pilgrims/Mayflower， Columbus， Pizarro， Cortez）， as well as the philosophy， science， and structure of societies of pre-Columbian America。 Paints a very vivid picture of how complex and under-appreciated Indian （as is apparently the correct term and the one used in the book） societies were， including the masterful gold-work， poetry， science/math， to name just a few subjects explored。 The second half is rather unfocused and there are a few things here and there that are interesting but I didn't take that much from it。 Overall， a worthy read even if just for the first half。 It's a shame more of this isn't taught in the many years of public school history we all have to endure。 。。。more
Laurie
，
Not a swift breezy read， but one densely packed with new information， and even new words （ at least for me， and I seldom have to consult a dictionary while reading）。 Like most people I hadn’t done much thinking about the Americas prior to 1492 since high school history classes in the 1970’s。 While we learned about the Inca and Maya civilizations they were presented and complex engineers but hopelessly superstitious and susceptible to the machinations of the clever if deceitful Spanish。 Of North Not a swift breezy read， but one densely packed with new information， and even new words （ at least for me， and I seldom have to consult a dictionary while reading）。 Like most people I hadn’t done much thinking about the Americas prior to 1492 since high school history classes in the 1970’s。 While we learned about the Inca and Maya civilizations they were presented and complex engineers but hopelessly superstitious and susceptible to the machinations of the clever if deceitful Spanish。 Of North American Indians we learned nothing。 I’ve the years I had picked up that things wereNot so simple， but I had NO IDEA what we missed。 American Indians were superb agricultural and horticultural innovators， engineers， artisans， political and governmental thinkers and much more numerous and complex than we have been taught。 The Americas were not sparsely populated by near prehistoric subsistence level hunter gatherers。 There were large scale， complex， populous societies from New England to Peru。 The Amazon was a cultivated forest with large inhabited earthworks。 The woods of The Eastern seaboard of the US were also intensively managed to provide food。 These complex societies were decimated by the introduction of European diseases that killed up to 80% of the original population and made it much easier for Europeans to overtake the hemisphere。 So much to learn。 Well worth the effort。 。。。more
Cheryl Schibley
，
One of the better books I've read lately。 The history of Mesoamerica before the Europeans arrived。 It's fascinating to learn of all the civilizations that have come and gone on the earth。 One of the better books I've read lately。 The history of Mesoamerica before the Europeans arrived。 It's fascinating to learn of all the civilizations that have come and gone on the earth。 。。。more
Carri
，
Immediately it gets you interested and manages to keep it up throughout which considering I wasn't even sure if I'd like this type of book really says something。 Immediately it gets you interested and manages to keep it up throughout which considering I wasn't even sure if I'd like this type of book really says something。 。。。more
Bob Lorentson
，
Amazing！ The Americas were home to such an incredible diversity of peoples and cultures before the Europeans， the evidence is there， and yet few of us are aware of this。 Really opened my eyes。
Christophe Bernier
，
Bon livre qui traite d’un sujet très explosif。 L’auteur， journaliste de profession， réussit à se placer au centre des multiples débats historiographiques qui concernent les sociétés américaines dans l’ère précolombienne。 Bien que le continent soit considéré comme vide par de nombreux Européens contemporains à l'arrivée de Colomb， l’auteur fait appel à des experts et de nombreuses études qui parlent plutôt d'une population avoisinant les 90 à 112 millions。 Les Amériques de l'époque seraient alors Bon livre qui traite d’un sujet très explosif。 L’auteur， journaliste de profession， réussit à se placer au centre des multiples débats historiographiques qui concernent les sociétés américaines dans l’ère précolombienne。 Bien que le continent soit considéré comme vide par de nombreux Européens contemporains à l'arrivée de Colomb， l’auteur fait appel à des experts et de nombreuses études qui parlent plutôt d'une population avoisinant les 90 à 112 millions。 Les Amériques de l'époque seraient alors plus populeuses que l’Europe。 De plus， la région de l'actuel Mexique aurait été plus densément peuplée que la Chine de la même époque et que toutes autres régions。 L’idée répandue d’un continent vide proviendrait plutôt des conquistadors eux-mêmes qui cherchaient à limiter les accusations de massacre qui reviendraient les hanter。 La dépopulation est souvent justifiée par les nouveaux contacts avec les conquistadors européens， mais pour l’auteur cela ne constituerait qu’une cause parmi plusieurs （notamment à une série d’épidémies et de profonds changements climatiques causés par El Niño qui ont généré de mauvaises récoltes）。 Il explique le succès des conquêtes de Cortés et de Pizarro par leur succès à exploiter les divergences entre les différents peuples ainsi qu’à un nombre croissant des troubles sociaux et non plus seulement aux armes à feu et aux chevaux。 Il ébranle certains dogmes notamment celui entourant la culture de Clovis （proclamé comme première société d’Amérique par plusieurs experts） et la migration par le détroit de Béring entre deux masses de glace continentale。 Selon l’auteur， il est aberrant de catégoriser les sociétés précolombiennes comme arriérées ou moins développées technologiquement puisqu’elles ont su adapter leur environnement à leur besoin （culture en terrasses， brulis， etc。） en plus de vivre dans des civilisations d’abondances notamment grâce à la culture des trois sœurs （mais， courges， haricots） plus productive que le comparable Européen （blé）。 Puis il souligne l’intérêt de plusieurs penseurs européens avec John Locke à leur tête qui défendait l’avancée des structures institutionnelles iroquoiennes sous la Grande Alliance qui étaient démocratiques et， d’une certaine façon， paritaires。 Il ouvre l’éventail de théories entourant la syphilis et les premiers contacts de Colomb en Amérique。 Malheureusement， ce livre est parsemé de récits personnels qui rendent certains passages inutiles。 Malgré tout， toute personne qui s’intéresse aux sociétés précolombiennes se doit de s’intéresser à cette œuvre。 。。。more
Emma Grayson
，
the inka （not spanish inca， but in their language of rami suni） and south america had a potentially greater population than that of europe at the time before columbus （incredibly from 10-25 million people to some suggesting upwards of 100 million across the americas）。 the collapse was perhaps due to disease that reached the indians before the first white man even arrived （smallpox）， this could’ve occurred by way of the caribbean via a slave on a european ship， and then spread south so that by th the inka （not spanish inca， but in their language of rami suni） and south america had a potentially greater population than that of europe at the time before columbus （incredibly from 10-25 million people to some suggesting upwards of 100 million across the americas）。 the collapse was perhaps due to disease that reached the indians before the first white man even arrived （smallpox）， this could’ve occurred by way of the caribbean via a slave on a european ship， and then spread south so that by the time conquistadors came， the populations had already been decimated。 there is evidence to support the fact that native americans were genetically more vulnerable to foreign microbes and viruses。 also pigs bringing diseases such as with de Soto in Florida， which spreads disease to humans easily。 this book could have been so dry but Mann really is so passionate and gets so excited by this topic that it comes across as such as fun and interesting read！！ a true epic from history that leaves many questions to still be answered。mentioned the yanomami indians， which unrelated， as i was reading this book i went to see claudia andujar， a photographic activist for these indigenous amazonia peoples at the Barbican center in London 7/9/21。“guilt is not readily passed down the generations but responsibility can be” 。。。more
EJ
，
lots of good info but obvious page by page as a piece written by a non Indigenous person。 the author could have ammelioratrd this by centering Indigenous perspectives rather than constantly centering himself。 a white guy centering himself in a description of Indogenous history is not remotely novel。
Geneva
，
What a book！ Definitely an important read， but quite long and packed with information。 Will need to go through it a second time at some point to make sure I actually absorb everything。
Dennis Murphy
，
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C。 Mann is a selection of essays meant to convey an updated window into the major scholarly debates surrounding the indigenous peoples of the Americas。 Some of what Mann cites is very compelling， while others seems a bit forced。 There was a telling argument early on in the book about "numbers from nowhere" and， as if inspired by that， entire socio-political and cultural essays were written off of some scanty evidence。 The foray int 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C。 Mann is a selection of essays meant to convey an updated window into the major scholarly debates surrounding the indigenous peoples of the Americas。 Some of what Mann cites is very compelling， while others seems a bit forced。 There was a telling argument early on in the book about "numbers from nowhere" and， as if inspired by that， entire socio-political and cultural essays were written off of some scanty evidence。 The foray into the Amazon Rain Forest being a construction of Native Americans was particularly strange， since the Rain Forest is older than human beings。 While it is a no-brainer to make the argument that people living in the rain forest had an effect on certain foresting patterns， particularly for agricultural purposes， it beggars credulity to suggest that it was a Native American creation。 Mann does one better by suggesting there's no such thing as wilderness in North America either， claiming that it was all one carefully curated garden of the vast mass of Native Americans。 I'm taking a hard pass on that one。 I would easily buy manipulation of the forests， particularly when it comes to the maintenance of game， which is something most in the Old World did。 This， however， sounds too much like the old Soviet Union claiming to have invented every invention， usually a few decades after they were used elsewhere。 That's not to take away some of the achievements described in this book， however。 I just think that Mann errs on the side of exaggeration to get people to fall in love with， and respect the achievements of， indigenous peoples， as well as to allow native Americans to feel pride in their ancestors' accomplishments。 There's a clear advocacy angle at play in the book， and it means that Charles often claims a mile in the name of his mission， where perhaps only an inch can be proven。 I wouldn't suggest that this should be the only book you read on pre-Columbian civilization， but it is entertaining and revealing enough。 83/100 。。。more
Yasser Yahia
，
I liked how the book is shedding lights on many topics and angles that you wouldn't usually find in the mainstream when it comes to the native Americans and how they built their own civilization in isolation from the rest of the world， yet I couldn't help being bored by the repetitive paragraphs over and over again。Also， I didn't like how the author insists on comparing civilizations！ You can highlight how a civilization is great without putting it in comparison with another civilization to unde I liked how the book is shedding lights on many topics and angles that you wouldn't usually find in the mainstream when it comes to the native Americans and how they built their own civilization in isolation from the rest of the world， yet I couldn't help being bored by the repetitive paragraphs over and over again。Also， I didn't like how the author insists on comparing civilizations！ You can highlight how a civilization is great without putting it in comparison with another civilization to undermine it。 Especially if your claim lacks evidence 。。。more
Bruce Whitmore
，
Extensive research was done。 Interesting that great communities existed thousands of years before Columbus landed in the Americas。 Many were technologically advanced。 Lots of facts and figures。
Jim Sanchez
，
Learned a lot that I didn't know about mesoamerica and how ancient and sophisticated their societies were。 I grew up in AR and heard a lot about the mound culture but it was mysterious back then。 Learned a lot that I didn't know about mesoamerica and how ancient and sophisticated their societies were。 I grew up in AR and heard a lot about the mound culture but it was mysterious back then。 。。。more
Stephen
，
I found this book filled with information about the indigenous peoples of America。 Keeping track of the time line was tricky， but learning about the many civilizations that existed in American before Columbus was enlightening。
Skyler
，
Full of drama and suspense， and to top it of a little humor。
Stephanie McCown
，
It challenged everything I had ever been taught about the pre-Columbus world， and I am grateful for that。
Miranda Gonzales
，
Good 👍
Ben Rogers
，
One of the best Indigenous reads of late。 Really enjoyed this one。 Important read。 This one was strong。 Learned a lot。 Highly recommended， especially now。 4。5/5
Harry Hughen
，
An excellent revisionist history， or as Mann calls it: “rerevesionist history” that takes aim at both the people who dismiss Native American cultures out of hand as barbarians and savages， and the camp that sees the natives as completely peaceful hippies who lived in perfect harmony in nature。 The truth of course， is much more complicated， but comes down to the fact that the natives were， well， people。 Though of course different in someways， the Aztecs or Incas were not all that different from An excellent revisionist history， or as Mann calls it: “rerevesionist history” that takes aim at both the people who dismiss Native American cultures out of hand as barbarians and savages， and the camp that sees the natives as completely peaceful hippies who lived in perfect harmony in nature。 The truth of course， is much more complicated， but comes down to the fact that the natives were， well， people。 Though of course different in someways， the Aztecs or Incas were not all that different from feudal Europeans。 In under 400 pages， Mann is able to write both a political/scientific history of Native American cultures and an account of the historiography about the subject。 The prose is excellent， and I especially enjoyed the anecdotes of Mann’s own experiences on archeological digs and his encounters with experts on the subject。 Overall， I would definitely recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the subject。 。。。more
Gregory
，
Good deep bookThis book has a lot of depth on the subject of America before Columbus and it takes time to be very thorough about how things have been understood。
Mike
，
Mann provides intriguing concepts to consider， but is too quick to present concepts and events that are conjecture as historical fact。 In an attempt to normalize the discussion of history of pre-European peoples in America against written European history， he chooses to present the events of a pre-literate society in an aggressively narrative way （excluding hedging phrases like "based on scant evidence， historians suppose。。。" or "it seems that。。。"）。 This overstates the confidence that historians Mann provides intriguing concepts to consider， but is too quick to present concepts and events that are conjecture as historical fact。 In an attempt to normalize the discussion of history of pre-European peoples in America against written European history， he chooses to present the events of a pre-literate society in an aggressively narrative way （excluding hedging phrases like "based on scant evidence， historians suppose。。。" or "it seems that。。。"）。 This overstates the confidence that historians would be expected to have regarding the events and character of these people and opens the whole enterprise to skepticism。 There are many ideas worth further exploration here， but Mann comes off less as a scientist trying to make sense of scant evidence and more like someone who has already made up his mind about the majesty of pre-Columbian dwellers of America and is set on making his case for them， lack of facts be damned。 。。。more
Pat
，
No rating， DNF。 Was there an editor for this book？？I guess it’s just me… I thought this was very interesting but was NOT enjoying it。 He wrote a version for young people。 That’s probably more my speed。
maddison
，
there’s some really interesting and important history in this book， yet it was also really dense and I found some parts to be boring
Sabastian Hunt
，
I learned a lot。 Definitely changed my perspective1491 phone notes1。 The pristine myth2。 Genetic bottleneck 3。 Holmberg’s mistake4。 Mesoamerican independently invented the wheel and the number zero5。 Terra preta6。 Milpa7。 Ecological release
Grant
，
Mann makes a thorough and compelling case for the Americas being full of civilizations， infrastructure， and technologies large and small that have largely been written out of the popular narrative in favour of the simplified， generic 'noble Indian living in harmony with nature'。 Often， he finds his most fascinating rebuttals in the words of 15-17th century Europeans themselves， who speak of many comparative advancements and advantages of Indigenous peoples。 There's also significant focus on Cent Mann makes a thorough and compelling case for the Americas being full of civilizations， infrastructure， and technologies large and small that have largely been written out of the popular narrative in favour of the simplified， generic 'noble Indian living in harmony with nature'。 Often， he finds his most fascinating rebuttals in the words of 15-17th century Europeans themselves， who speak of many comparative advancements and advantages of Indigenous peoples。 There's also significant focus on Central and South America to convey to the true scope and the dramatic reshaping of the land that occurred there。I think it's legitimately one of those thought-provoking books that makes you question narratives and encourages you to strike up conversations。 。。。more
Wendy
，
3。5 Great information！ Love the details。 It’s just a little dry sometimes with a narrative that drags on a bit。 Still， everyone should read this。
Alexis Kaelin
，
It was fine。 I'm not sure how "earth shattering" it was at the time。 Some of it has stood up， some has not。 It is always odd when journalists tag along with historians and archaeologists。 It feels like a book version of a history channel special， not the best kind。 But some of it was new to me and interesting to read。 It was fine。 I'm not sure how "earth shattering" it was at the time。 Some of it has stood up， some has not。 It is always odd when journalists tag along with historians and archaeologists。 It feels like a book version of a history channel special， not the best kind。 But some of it was new to me and interesting to read。 。。。more
Emma
，
An interesting high-level summary of what the Americas would have looked like in 1491 and why what we learned in school is probably wrong。 Many reviews have covered the basic sections & points Mann makes， so there is no need to repeat them here。 Overall， I enjoyed this book， although I would have liked it to go a little more in depth。 It's one thing to say there were a wide range of wonderful cultures across the continents， but it's another to just not discuss most of them。 Maybe it would be bet An interesting high-level summary of what the Americas would have looked like in 1491 and why what we learned in school is probably wrong。 Many reviews have covered the basic sections & points Mann makes， so there is no need to repeat them here。 Overall， I enjoyed this book， although I would have liked it to go a little more in depth。 It's one thing to say there were a wide range of wonderful cultures across the continents， but it's another to just not discuss most of them。 Maybe it would be better to say this is a look at Peru through the Mississippi Valley with a stop over along the US East Coast rather than a look at the entire continents。 。。。more
Richard Pearce-moses
，