1491 - The Book

I'm reading this book (well, on audio, like too many Americans, I have a fair drive to work.) It tries to cover the history of the Americas pre-contact.

It suffers from the typical flaws of a journalist writing about science, but it is very eye opening about how much culture was here before first contact, and exactly how/why first contact played out the way it did. (spoiler: small pox and other European originated plagues brought many of the cultures to their knees before europeans arrived to conquer.)

I thought the bits about the origins of agriculture and how many crops we take for granted these days were all domesticated in meso and south america.

90% of the worldwide cotton crop, for instance, derives from the species domesticated in Mexico.

Sounds a fascinating book, possibly a useful companion to Jared Diamond's books?

Yes, I know Diamond has his critics, but I've found his books insightful.

Always seems interesting that "Civilisation & Dicovery" date from first European contact with the natives. As if all that went before isn't worth considering

Know a few who are quite critical of Diamond's work but yes I liked it