It took a long time to get through (very dense, academic) but was a sprawling look at a powerful indigenous culture that I knew nothing about.
Plus, it was enlightening and a bit foreboding to learn how an empire could be at the very height of its power and then, through circumstance, climate, demographics, and imperial expansion be exhausted and destroyed in essentially a decade.
For a broader look at the same subject (on the continental scale), I recommend 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann.
Yes, I enjoyed both "1491" and "1493", both great books in the same vein as "Guns, Germs and Steel". I have a soft spot for food so especially loved the caloric analysis (the sweet potato was a game changer, IIRC).
I actually read "Empire of the Summer Moon" first. It's a nice intro to the same topic, and far more readable (weaves a couple of stories together, rather than being an academic work). If you are interested in the topic at all, it's a worthy read.
It took a long time to get through (very dense, academic) but was a sprawling look at a powerful indigenous culture that I knew nothing about.
Plus, it was enlightening and a bit foreboding to learn how an empire could be at the very height of its power and then, through circumstance, climate, demographics, and imperial expansion be exhausted and destroyed in essentially a decade.