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The Americas: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Continents of North and South America, Starting from the Olmecs through the Maya and Aztecs to ...
The one-character trait that sometimes surpasses the human instinct for survival is curiosity. When humans discovered an entire hemisphere that lay beyond their own Eastern Hemisphere, the race was on.
What opportunities would these new lands hold? Surely, a small country in Europe could wield the power of an empire if it could claim these new lands in the Americas. After all, there was new fertile land in these Americas, the lure of wealth, the entertainment of exciting wildlife, productive vegetation, and the marvelous treasures that shone and glittered. The cry for gold overcame all the people’s mortal fears. It echoed in 1528 in the search for the ethereal El Dorado, in 1632 in Venezuela, and in the frigid Yukon in 1896.
The countries came and claimed and clashed as they tried to mix and meld. Instead, they found themselves caught in the dialectic of opposing sides, caught in a game of tug-of-war over acres of plains and pampas, sand and stones, mountains and mesas.
In The Americas: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Continents of North and South America, Starting from the Olmecs through the Maya and Aztecs to European Colonization and the Independence Movements, you will discover topics such as
The Olmecs: The Rubber People (1500–400 BCE)
The Maya: The K’iche’ People (3000 BCE–1511 CE)
The Aztecs (1250–1521 CE)
The Andean Civilizations and the Incas
South America: Peru, Chile, Brazil, and Venezuela from Pre-Columbian Times through Colonization
South America: Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay from Pre-Columbian Times through Colonization
South American Wars of Independence
The Natives in North America (13,000 BCE–1492 CE)
Iceland and Greenland
The European Colonization of North America, 1492–1733
North American Conflicts, Including America’s War for Independence, 1754–1783
North America: Mexico and Canada, 1821–1982
Cuba and the West Indies
And much, much more!
What opportunities would these new lands hold? Surely, a small country in Europe could wield the power of an empire if it could claim these new lands in the Americas. After all, there was new fertile land in these Americas, the lure of wealth, the entertainment of exciting wildlife, productive vegetation, and the marvelous treasures that shone and glittered. The cry for gold overcame all the people’s mortal fears. It echoed in 1528 in the search for the ethereal El Dorado, in 1632 in Venezuela, and in the frigid Yukon in 1896.
The countries came and claimed and clashed as they tried to mix and meld. Instead, they found themselves caught in the dialectic of opposing sides, caught in a game of tug-of-war over acres of plains and pampas, sand and stones, mountains and mesas.
In The Americas: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Continents of North and South America, Starting from the Olmecs through the Maya and Aztecs to European Colonization and the Independence Movements, you will discover topics such as
The Olmecs: The Rubber People (1500–400 BCE)
The Maya: The K’iche’ People (3000 BCE–1511 CE)
The Aztecs (1250–1521 CE)
The Andean Civilizations and the Incas
South America: Peru, Chile, Brazil, and Venezuela from Pre-Columbian Times through Colonization
South America: Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay from Pre-Columbian Times through Colonization
South American Wars of Independence
The Natives in North America (13,000 BCE–1492 CE)
Iceland and Greenland
The European Colonization of North America, 1492–1733
North American Conflicts, Including America’s War for Independence, 1754–1783
North America: Mexico and Canada, 1821–1982
Cuba and the West Indies
And much, much more!
- GenresHistory
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 27, 2020
143 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 24, 2023
Excellent overview
Well organized and interesting history of north, south and central Americas. The presentation is very informative, engaging and provides many new insights. This book will definitely give a great overview that will inspire history buffs to 'want to know more' . Good job!
Well organized and interesting history of north, south and central Americas. The presentation is very informative, engaging and provides many new insights. This book will definitely give a great overview that will inspire history buffs to 'want to know more' . Good job!
August 23, 2020
A good guide for the novice.
September 14, 2020
DNF. Boring. Reads like a high school history book.
February 25, 2021
I was so excited to hear about Toussaint again! I hadn't read about him in a long time. I remember loving his story when I first read about it many years ago.
June 17, 2022
Short survey of the cultural histories of the Western hemisphere. Worth a read as a starting point for more in-depth reading later.
January 1, 2026
It has some mistakes and outdated theories from decades ago in the precolumbian history section but it's overall a very good book as an introduction.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews