Critical Essay on "New Revelations of Americas Before Columbus" by Charles Mann

Author's Thesis

Most of the American citizens living in the United States today do not have a background history of the country's image what is now America before it was affected by humans in the year 1491. This was because, most schools of today explain that Indians, "existed for the supreme portion in trivial, remote clusters and that they had a slight influence on their surroundings that even after an era of occupancy the areas stayed typically desert" (Mann, pg.4). Those people who have authority on the past events thought that ancient Indians one way or another existed outside of history and that they were aimless. Mann, the author, says writes that "inactive addressees of whatsoever bonuses or tragedies quirk put in their way" (Mann pg.2). This was the primary view of the myth of the stately savage.in other words, the author speaks of Native Americans being as active as anyone else when it comes to shaping their environments.

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The writer says that the Native Americans constructed boundless and well-off metropolises, survived predominantly on farms and their home continents "were infinitely full of activity, diversified, and more popular than scientists had originally thought of" (Mann, pg.3). To justify this, the writer talks about several heated debates in the consequential records. One is the question of close interaction enumeration. Those who schooled in the past learned that at the time of the Columbian arrival there existed several Native Americans, considering that demythifying in 1960s advanced than eight million individuals lived in the Hispaniola island only. This numeral from the revisionists made the Native American militants assail for the political erroneousness of altering the census. Another debate is one on the timeline of human existence in the Americas. This controversy is never cut by the Bering Land Bridge located in Alaska which was constructed 12,000 b.c.

Significant Findings

The book comprises of three parts. In the first section, the writer focuses on the connection between the Indians and Europeans which led to the European intrusion to the Central and Southern America. The writer depicts that even if the technology of the people of Europe seems to be higher to that of the Indian people that were not how it was in the past years of 1491. The writer uses guns as an example to define that the European technology never made the Indians of low quality. Reason being that the Europeans created heavy firearms made of steel which were almost intolerable to target while Indians made lightweight crossbows made of wood that was easy to take a clean shot. He adds that the Indian civilization was defeated because of the overseas infections they contracted and not because of the guns and horses the Europeans used to fight.

The second portion the writer talks of the "Andean" and "Mesoamerican" agricultural practice. The two groups highly planted maize which supplemented vegetable as it was comparable to Zea mays. Nevertheless, it had to be cultivated a side supplementary yields named milpa. This described alternative sign for Indian inventiveness.

Finally, in the third part, the writer talks about the evolution of Mayans which was long before the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It says that the family of America Indian that speaks Maya language more probably vanished as the civilization because they "overshot the resonant ability of their surroundings". They ended up starving to death after they used all their resources.

Weakness of the Book

Although the writer pointed out many new facts in the novel, still he used too much information in discussing one sentence resulting to having too much information in one paragraph and this is a major weakness in the novel. However, a novel should only contain information that is useful according to the writer's topic and also gives the time that is necessary to reflect it. An example of this kind of weakness is when the writer is showing how Indians emerged in America after crossing the Bering Strait land bridge. "Vance Hayes, an archaeologist at the University of Arizona, put the vital hints on the scheme in 1964, when he distinguished proof that at just the right period, that is about thirteen thousand years ago, two prodigious polar in Northwest Canada split, leaving a moderately warm, ice-free corridor between them" (17). This describes the writers' trend of filling one sentence with too many facts at the same time making it cause a headache on the process. Instead, he could have separated these string of words into one or so clauses making the content to be understood in a genuine manner.

Strengths of the Book

By the writer using images and comprehensive charts connecting to the script was what made this piece of literature be strong. By the writer accommodating pictures thoroughly in the book helps the reader visualize what he is trying to convey very easily. On the chapter "Made in America" (pg. 289), is an example where the writer uses a map to convey his message. He presents a tremendously comprehensive figure of the Midwest to the eastern US noting all the whereabouts and villages. The map also comprises gage and rounds the zone where this portion of the creation is located on earth. The map clearly makes the reader understand where these tribes thrived many years before Christ to 1400 after descendant.

The book has many sections that are remarkably intense. However, one of the greatest pieces the writer uses is the chapter "Amazonia" when he and his tour guide known as clement walks in the Amazon. Remarkably, Amazon is a very unique place on earth on the count that it is one of the most thought-provoking dwellings on earth with an environment of its own. The writer uses imagery and great descriptions when describing on his first encounter with this area on his journey. He illustrates a form of bean he comes across in the tropical forest, "He grasped what seemed to be a four-foot thread bean from a branch, fragmented it along, and displayed to me compressed, polished seeds displayed along its stretch like teeth in a jaw" (343). He transforms what normally is described as elongated green been usually found in forests into a "four-foot string bean" with "compressed, polished seeds displayed along its stretch like teeth in a jaw". These picturesque details and imagery that the writer uses in the book make it more appealing and well understandable to read.

Contributions to the History of Inca Society

Inca was well known for establishing the Inca Empire in pre-Columbian America from 1438 to 1533 C. E. the historical origin of Inca is different from other ancient American cultures as they have four types of origin myths. The first origin myth Paqariq Tampu from sacred cave named Tampu T'oqo sent forth his four daughters and four sons to start a village. Afterward, Sinchi Roca son of Manco and Occlo was born and later led them to Cuzco where they settled.

In the second myth, Manco and Ocllo were ordered by the sun god to come out of Lake Titicaca and settle the city of Cuzco. They used underground caves as their means of going to Cuzco where they established their first dynasty.

In another myth, an Inca sun god created a civilization for him to worship and keep him company from his wife's opinion when he told her he was lonely. Following, the Inca were born from Cusco and inhabited the Andes and worshipped the sun god.

Finally, in the third myth, Manco and Occlo were commissioned by the sun to go and look for an area where they could establish an empire. They were given a rod which was a sign to guide them of the right place to settle. The rod was to sink when they reached that right place. Significantly, it sank into the ground of Cuzco where they founded an empire.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "New Revelations of Americas before Columbus" by Charles Mann is a recommendable book to many. Mann uses a lot of intense narratives keeping the reader engaged at all time. He entertains the reader and proves that there was a world far more prior to Columbus than one could have thought.

Work Cited

Mann, Charles C. 1491: New revelations of the Americas before Columbus. Alfred a Knopf Incorporated, 2005.