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.

List of MapsPrefaceINTRODUCTION / Holmberg’s Mistake1. A View from AbovePART ONE / Numbers from Nowhere?2. Why Billington Survived3. In the Land of Four Quarters4. Frequently Asked QuestionsPART TWO / Very Old Bones5. Pleistocene Wars6. Cotton (or Anchovies) and Maize (Tales of Two Civilizations, Part I)7. Writing, Wheels, and Bucket Brigades (Tales of Two Civilizations, Part II)PART THREE / Landscape with Figures8. Made in America9. Amazonia10. The Artificial Wilderness11. The Great Law of PeaceAppendixesA. Loaded WordsB. Talking KnotsC. The Syphilis ExceptionD. Calendar MathAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex