27 September 2011

From Eden to Cajamarca

Use the available primary sources and the readings to comment on From Eden to Cajamarca (GGS, Ch. 1-3).

Note: Submit on Monday, 3 October 2011.
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Carlos De León
Social Studies Department Chair
Luther Burbank High School

26 comments:

Priscilla Garanzuay said...

The reason why certain societies had greater advantages over others was thanks to the resources they had available in their environment.One example of this phenomenon was the the capturing of the Inca emperor Atahuallpa by Francisco Pizzarro. The Spaniards had horses which were used in cavalry, these made it easier to take over the city of Cajamarca. Horses were not available in the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans;the only large domesticated animal that existed was the alpaca. Spaniards also had access to metals such as steel, which helped them develop superior weapons and armor compared to those made of materials such as bronze,stone, or wood used by natives. This aid them in the conquest of other societies. (GGS pg.74-77)

Brianna Mena said...

The first early humans began to migrate out of Africa into new territories after “the first 5 to 6 million years after our origins 7 million years ago.”(GGS pp 36) Depending on where they migrated, some early humans began to make technological advancements that were virtually impossible elsewhere because of different environmental factors. In Polynesia for example, the Maori conquered the Moriori because they made political and technological advances while the Moriori did not because they were isolated and had little resources. “The outcome clearly illustrates how environments can affect economy, technology, political organization, and fighting skill...” (GGS p.57) Another example of how this hold true is that the Spanish were able to conquer the Incas due to the fact that they had guns, steel, and domesticated horses. “The novelty of horses, steel weapons, and guns undoubtedly paralyzed the Incas at Cajamarca...” (GGS p. 75) because they didn’t have access to steel or horses since they weren't native to their continent.

Ramiro Ortega said...

Military advances can have a huge advantage over an oponent.For example, when the spaniards conquered the indians, the spaniards were more advanced in weaponary with less men and the indians had more people than weaponary advances. When pizarro and his calvary fought the indians he only had a few thousand men while the indians had 80 thousand in total when Pizarro captured Atahuallpa. Though the diffrence in men was huge, Pizarro's calvary had horses and guns while the indians had less modernized weapons.

Textual Evidence: ''... 'and the armored spanish troops,both calvary and infantry , sallied forth out of their hiding places straight into the mass of the unarmed indians crowding the square'...''

CHAPTER:3 PAGE:72
AUTHOR:JARED DIAMOND
GUNS,GERMS, AND STEEL

Isai Cruz said...

The conquer of Atahuallpa by Pizzaro and his 198 Spaniards shows how advances in technology can be a big advantage over other societies. The fact that Pizzaro and his men possessed guns, which of course was new in that time, had a big advantage over the indians who only had weapons such as the bow and arrow and spears. Amongst the 198 men Pizzaro had with him, 28 were calvaries. When they had finally decided to attack, the sounds of gun fires and men on horses made the 80,000 indians warriors tremble and flee. " 'We had placed rattles on the horses to terrify the Indians. The booming of the guns, the blowing out of the trumpets, and the rattles on the horses threw the Indians into panicked confusion.' " This is one main reason why the Spaniards were able to capture the leader of the Indians with not much trouble. The advances in their technology especially when it came to weapons proved to be a big advantage over the unmodernized Atahuallpa and his tribe of many infantry.


Guns Germs And Steel, quote taken from pg. 72 ch.3
Jared Diamond

Bryan said...

Chapter 5: History’s Have &Have Nots
Though out history food production appeared all over the world and in different times. In very few places food production arose independently, meaning local people domesticated local plants and animals. On the other, food production arose in some places as imported, in the sense that the crops and livestock had previously been domesticated (p.94). Archeologist can discover evidence of food production by radiocarbon dating of carbon-containing materials at the site. This method is based on the readings of carbon 14, which is constantly being generated in the atmosphere by cosmic rays. As soon as a plant or animal dies half of its carbon 14 decay into carbon 12 every 5,700 years. With these numbers, an archaeologist can use the carbon 14/carbon 12 ratio to determine the age of the material at site (p.95). Around the world some hunter-gathers may have begun food production upon the arrival of crops from elsewhere. For example, the Egyptians food production began with the arrival of south west Asian crops such as the sycamore fig, and then gradually eliminated wild foods from their diet (p. 101-102) On the other hand; food production began with the arrival of foreigners, as well as their foreign crops and animals. For example, in the Cape of South Africa, Europeans founded the Khoi hunter and gathers and they had already domesticated animals, but with the arrival of the Europeans, plant domestication began to sprout (p.102) So, around the world many of the food production began as areas of learned food production, being replaced by foreigners all at different times. Although, it is those people who had a head-start on food production, which leads them to a path towards, guns, germs and steel.

Anonymous said...

Humans had different evoultionary coarses due to the different resources availabe to each group.Factors like climate, acess to water, and isolation determined why when some humans were learning how to farm, others were already creating cities.Because of the differences in advancement, some human civilizations thrived and others perished.When two different civilizations clashed with eachother, the more technologically advanced one won.

Bryan said...

In the beginning, human beings had already began to adapt to their surrounding; from Proto Human to Cro-Magnons. The Cro-Magnons discovered in Europe were the first to use advanced technology: needles, spears, fishing nets, and diverse weapons (p.39). One of the major concerns of many archeologist is where did everyone come from? Was there pre-Clovis life? For example, there is still no explanation to how the early people had journeyed from Meadow Crawford to Monteverde (p. 48-52). We then take a look at how the environments of civilization impact human societies in operation. In chapter two, two civilizations are discussed that portray a repetitive concept throughout history; the average conquest between the equipped and the ill-equipped. The Moriori people vs. the Maori, we must keep in mind that these two civilizations diverged from the same origins (p. 54) In the second chapter of Guns, Germs, and Steel Diamond doesn’t only limit this chapter to the Moriori or the Maori, he displays all of the Polynesian societies and shows us a small-scale example of what happened on all of the continents; the causation of prosperity due to the availability of resources (p.57-66). In this case the Maori, or the Hawaiians would be a great example of the few societies that prospered and conquered due to their availability of resources (p. 57-58, 63-64) Moving on to chapter three, Diamond begins us with a journey to the New World. We take a specific look at collision of Natives vs. Colonizers: the Spanish Conquistador Pizarro and Inca emperor Atahuallpa (p. 68-81). Once again, Diamond showed us this specific collision, because throughout history you will find many similar cases. As we read on into the chapter, we come to find that Atahuallpa was sincerely ignorant to what existed beyond his people’s borders. If Atahuallpa was learned of the Spanish Conquistadores intent he most likely would have gone through more preparations and precautions when it came to the Spanish’s official meeting with Atahuallpa and his people (p.79). This specific case, correlates with chapter two: equipped vs. ill-equipped. The Incans had very simple technology compared to the Spanish whom had steel swords, lances and daggers (p. 76) This furthermore goes to who how resource availability can impact one’s prosperity.

carlos gonzales said...

By 11,000 B.C.E. was the end of the Pleistocene Era and the last Ice Age. Which started the the Recent Era. Most large wild animals are extinct by that time. Most people back then if you were in a small populated area were hunters and gatheres. Then people from big populated areas came and started ferming for the firt time. Polynesia lead to the moderate diversity of human adaptions. After time in 1532 the Incas in Cajamarca Peru find new diseases that kills alot of thier people and thier emperor. The technology of the first guns cuase the spanish to a dominant culture developement.

luke warren said...

ch.1 is about how the humans evolved form apes and the growth of the human brain over time. ch.2 is about how the humans have adapted over time to the climate and the geography and learned to use there resources. ch.3 is about the capability of the moris and the morioris.

David.E said...

In chapter one of GGS, I learned about human history as well as the human eveloution chain from Austrapithecus africanus, to homo habilis, and finally to homo erectus, and how we all started in Africa and expanded slowly to where we are today. In each stage we developed into something better. I also learned about "The Great Leap Foward", the theory that early humans were very primative compared to homo erectus.

In chapter two of GGS, I learned about how the Maori people brutally killed and defeated the Moriori people, a peaceful tribe who always tried to avoid conflict. This collision gave historians an experiment to look at to see what the outcome would be when two different groups collided when enviroment is on the line. Environment did play a huge role in this and it taught us that environments can affect the economy,technology, political organizations, and fighting skills.

In chapter three of GGS, I read about yet again another collision that took place. This time it was about the Inca Empire versus the Spaniards. The Spaniards captured the cheif of the Inca Empire, Atahuallpa and held him for ransom. As soon as they got what they wanted they would free him, but instead they killed him. There were many questions as to why the Inca Empire didnt win even though they outnumbered the Spaniards. The answer is simple, technology. It was not advanced in the Inca Empire. This answers the questions such as why they didnt invade the spaniards and why they were defeated. This shows why the Europeans colonized the new world instead of the native americans colonizing Europe.

danielagarza said...

I disagree with the concept of human beings coming from apes, i belive that we were created by God.
I do not think that the Maori tribe was not fair to the Moriori because the Moriori were there first.
Pizarro does get the credit because even thought he wasn't the strongest and most advanced with his soldiers, he finds a way to win.

alfonso mata said...

Starting from the origins in Africa humans spread out to Europe then the Americas. Technology was an advantage between various groups. It meant easier coquest, more power, more rule, control and better ways of life. (GGS chap 1 page 51) (GGS chap 2 page 54) (GGS chap 3 page 68-74) all show that having better technology always lead to victory in war. These chapters describe and talk about two collisions. In both collisions the group with advanced technology always came out victorious. Technology symbolized importance in war and conquest.

aaron araujo said...

the inca did not react to the spainards as enemys but tried to make peace instead this might have been due to the limited interaction with outsiders

aaron araujo said...

they might have reacted differently if they had been more exposed to war and conflict instead of just peac (ggs,chapter 3 page 70

jackie said...

In my opinion, I don’t believe that we are descendants from a species of ape because of my religious beliefs, however, I do believe that god is the one who created humans. I thought that the Maori shouldn’t have killed of the Moriori because they developed from the same descendants and in chapter 3 my opinions were that its was exciting because Of the way Pizarro captured Atahuallpa and killed him after his ransom was paid…pretty harsh.

Anonymous said...

These 3 chapters go on cronological order from the foundation of the first civilizations to come upon the face of the earth around 11,000 B.C.E. The Chapter on Cajamarca talks about the battle and the conquering of the Inca empire (led by Atahuapalla) from the Spaniards (led by Fransisco Pizarro). The beginning two chapters just gives details on how the process of agriculture, the spread of the early civilizations and the foundations of the first villages started. These readings helped out in learning more on how the began and how they grew and became more advance.

-Juan Chavarria 5th

Kelsey Zamora said...

The number one thing that I learned was how we advanced in our technologies, and how we went from hunting our food to producing our food."The biggest political units could assemble large labor forcesto construct irrigation systems and fishpondsthat intensified food production even further."

Alexia Aguinaga said...

Reunion of civilization and how the foundation of Cajamarca , states how civilization grew from farming and mallalorgy and spread through out the world, from eden. This impacts that these things had were very big and its all part of technology expansion. Also, Cajamarca was the place where spaniards fough against Incas. Spaniards led by Francisco Pizzarro and incas were led by Atahapula. This was an unfair captured and very cowardish. This small event also had a huge impact on them just because of not being careful enough.

Estefany said...

The first three chapters focused on the beginning of the human civilizations. Like, how they spread throughout Eurasia, Africa and even Australia and New Guinea. The peoples adapted to changes and they invented new ways of survival. For example the New Guinean's had to come up with a way to travel, so they made sails and boats. It all leads up to survival.

analy t said...

In the first three chapters of Guns, Germs, and Steel the most important things that stood out to me were the answers to the main questions that was being addressed. The question was, why did some parts of the world develop differently to other parts? The same answer kept popping up. It was the resources that the land around them. During the three chapters it gives many situations that gave the same answer. Like the conquest that was talked about in one of the chapters, it wasn’t that the people were better or worse than others, it was that the land around them had given them access to different resources.

alfred said...

In these first three chapters of Guns, Germs, and Steel it gives the information of how and where humanity was first formed and spread throughout the world, including all of the challenges and evolution (to the body and technology) that had occured in their journies. This also included the different animals that were there with humans.

Jim Davila said...

The main ideas in Guns,Germs, and Steel were, the idea of evolution from man and women to their tools of modern day society back then in the 1100 B.C.E. evolution took place on tools that brought us metalurgy and new hunting strategies that was brought to my attention in chapters one, two, and three.

J.Gonzalez said...

these chapter talk on about the civilations move arcoss the word, chapter 3 tells how two different tirbes mwwt wach other. Each one sees a different view of how they see the oppistie as a wierd civilation. (GGS page 69)

elijah montez said...

i have learned that through time we have evovlved not only in how the human looks today but also that we have evolved in the roles that we play from evovlving fom hunter gathers to farmers. also ending the common life of nomadic herders to establishing early civilizations. (GGS ch 1,2,3)

Tristan Settles said...

I Believe that the first three chapters of G.G.S talked alot on the beginning of humanity. about how they spread out throughout the regions of the world and also about how some adapted the the environments that they lived in. They also talked alot about how some of these groups survived alot on either hunting and gathering or farming(agriculture). it also talks a little bit about how hhumans were just a new species of apes... through my eyes, thats not true because we as humans were created equally by God.

Francisco Simental said...

Humans evolved at a different pace due to the resources that were available at that time. When some peolple barely started to learn how to farm, others were already creating empires and cities. A huge advantage was calvalry, medicines, guns, and armor.