In the novel Guns, Germs, and Steel author Jared Diamond immersed himself into to find information to see how societies and the changes made throughout the years affected today’s society and how they have become important factors to look into to be able understand the evolution of people. The novel itself is a representation of the history that we have gone through as a society however the ones I will be specifically talking about today are the “Collision at Cajamarca” and the factors that make it so important. Along with analyzing the chapter itself the more specific questions that need answering before the ultimate understanding are the proximate and ultimate factors that happend making this collision so important. Furthermore, we will be discussing the Neolithic Revolution and …show more content…
Before the “Collision at Cajamarca” the encounter of the Old world and the New world started when Christopher Columbus first came across the Americas. This started the expansion of the countries and the wealth they gathered to gain powers over the others. As the spanish continued to look for land and civilization to take over they sent more and more people in order to gain land and power. When they first encountered the Native Americans (or Indians as also described in the novel) and their tribes many were described as savages and their religious studies as demonic however, the Spaniards could not deny the sophistication of their civilization and how it ran .One Spanish conquistador named Francisco Pizarro is known for the most memorable and illustrious conquest of the Inca Empire. The Inca Empire was as big and civilized as other Native America colonies. When they first entered outnumbered it was a slim chance in which they believed they would be successful in such conquest.In the novel they stated that “The Governor's brother Hernando Pizarro estimated the number of Indian soldiers there at
In the book, Guns Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond attempts to answer questions of conquest, such as why Eurasia conquered the Americas, and not the other way around. Diamond is a biologist by trade, and both impressed and disappointed the academic world with his new historian side. He believes the answer to western dominance lies in geography and the spread of guns, germs and steel. His theories had led him to be heavily critiqued by historians everywhere, including environmental historian J.R McNeil and Professor of Anthropology and Geography James Blaut. While Diamond provides solid ideas relating to the conquest of the New World, he often uses his scientistic background loosely with unclear supports forgetting other historical factors that
Native Americans had lived in America long before it was discovered by settlers. They even lived normal lives, according to their customs, however settlers came and claimed their land and tried to change their beliefs. Because of this it was clear that the new settlers and the Native Americans could not live together peacefully because their values and cultures were too different. In Sepulvedas' and Casas' papers they will talk about how the Native Americans are seen by the Spanish and how bias can effect how a group is seen.
- “Black Legend”- False concept held that the conquerors merely tortured and butchered the Indians, stole their gold, infected them with smallpox, and left little but misery behind. - Spanish did erect a colossal empire, sprawling from California and Florida to Tierra del Fuego. - Spanish would fuse with the Indians, as to the English would shun
In historian Jared Diamond’s book and film Guns, Germs and Steel, he attempts to explain why some parts of the world are more economically sound than others. The facts Diamond delves into extend back thousands of years. Some civilizations had what Diamond referred to as “geographic luck”, meaning that some lands were situated in an environment better suited for agriculture and other resource gathering. Other civilizations were also unable to domesticate animals that would have made farming and living on the land easier. Domesticated animals provided milk, fur, meat, as well as the ability to feed off leftover crop beds and create dung to fertilize future crops.
One example that Antrosio mentions, is how he answers Yali ’s question by focusing on the advancements of the Europeans. With the longer availability of agriculture in the Eurasian regions, the people had a better opportunity to develop more advanced technologies. Along with the production of agriculture, the domestication of animals became a prominent resource and influential factor to the spread of diseases. Therefore, it is apparent that Diamond contradicts his article, “Worst Mistake,” with Guns, Germs, and Steel.
In the book, “Guns, Germs, and Steel” by Jared Diamond, Part Three talks about the evolution of germs, writing, technology, government, and religion. Jared Diamond seems to feel like the development of technology helped shape the world as it is today (most importantly Eurasian societies) except, even he had a struggle figuring out how technology was developed. He compares how the Eurasian societies developed technology compared to the Western societies. Technology, in general, helped shape those societies and created many powerful inventions that are used in our world today. Jared Diamond is also interested in answering Yali’s question from Chapter One which makes his curiosity grow on to how everything happened the way it happened.
The Inca’s warfare tactics were incredibly unique compared to other indigenous societies. They often shied away from simply fighting and rather used the tactic of diplomacy to win battles, claim land, and leave with minimum bloodshed. The Incas were excellent diplomats and were able to negotiate with the tribes they were fighting against. For example, when the Incas went to war, they would tell the other tribe that they wouldn’t fight them if the tribe simply gave in and became part of the Incan military.
Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel did not change my thinking of the human evolution because that is how I already felt about history. I believe that everything develops at their own speed because different places have different beliefs and have their own ways of evolving. Since I was born, my grandparents would take me with them to National Parks such as Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, and Crater Lake. Because of my grandparents, I became educated on many things concerning our nation’s history. I understood that some things couldn't happen at the same time as others because of how the land is different in other places. An example of how the United States is different across the country is simply the accents.
In the book Guns,Germs and Steels, Jared Diamond illuminates how and why the human societies of different continents followed widely divergent pathways of development over the past 13,000 years. However, Mcneil thinks, though Diamond makes a good case for the critical importance of continental differences in the wild plant and animal species available as starting material for domestication, he puts too much effort to reduce history to the level of biological science. In my perspective, Diamond frames his book around “Yali’s questions”, and his answers to those questions are simple in principle but complex in detail. One of the most important viewpoints of Jared Diamond is that he proposes, before culture was advanced enough, small differences
In the 16th Century, Spain became one of the European forces to reckon with. To expand even further globally, Spanish conquistadors were sent abroad to discover lands, riches, and North America and its civilizations. When the Spanish and Native American groups met one another, they judged each other, as they were both unfamiliar with the people that stood before them. The Native American and Spanish views and opinions of one another are more similar than different because when meeting and getting to know each other, neither the Spaniards nor the Native Americans saw the other group of people as human. Both groups of people thought of one another as barbaric monsters and were confused and amazed by each other’s cultures.
In the Incas Empire they had 4 to 6 million people. This empire kept repeating their convulsions because of their inheritance system. In the early sixteenth century, the Incas Empire had a fuse on who would take Huayna Capac place. This fuse was between the “ official” son and the “ favorite" son. When Huayna Capac died, Atahualpa (the favorite son) declared war on his brother Cuzco (the official son).
4- Chapter 3: Collision at Cajamarca Throughout history, there were many new developments that allowed the Spanish to conquer the Inca and capture Atahuallpa. Everything unraveled at the Peruvian highland town of Cajamarca on November 16, 1532. Governor Pizarro, who represented the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, wanted to gain information about the Inca emperor Atahuallpa so he tortured some Indians from Cajamarca and made them spill what they already knew. After hearing that their emperor was waiting for his arrival, Governor Pizarro proceeded to Cajamarca with his Spanish troops. He was able to successfully arrive there by the written letters and pamphlets of detailed sailing directions that were created to provide more accurate information.
The Spaniards, led by Christopher Columbus, played a major role in the devastation of the indigenous peoples that lived in the Americas before their encroachment. The Spaniards took advantage of the naivety of the natives, treated the people like the were mere objects, and nearly completed genocide without even being aware. With the dawn of the new age on the horizon, the once simpler times of the Native Americans and their people was drawing to an end. Before Columbus ever came to the Americas, the indigenous people that lived on the continent led simpler, more spiritual lives. The ‘Indians’ (as Christopher Columbus mistakenly nicknamed the people) that lived throughout North America had many similarities.
On October 12, 1492, an Italian merchant by the name of Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the New World. With him he brought three ships and a small crew of Spaniards. After exploring other islands, Columbus came one that he called Hispaniola; here, they found seemingly primitive and naϊve natives that they immediately began to take advantage of. However, little did they know that this first meeting would bring exploration of South and Central America that would wreak havok among the Natives. Throughout the period of European Expansion, Natives were ripped from their home and forced to work day in and day out.
The Spanish conquest on the Mayans was a significant event during the 1500’s. The Spanish conquest brought their military equipment’s that was no match for the Mayan Indians. As the conquest continued to expand throughout Central America there was little unity among other tribes beside the Mayan empire. The reason for this is because they believe that the Spanish were much inferior to their own beliefs and ancestry.