Until relatively recently, it was widely believed that the Amazon Rainforest was incapable of sustaining large scale human development. New findings have challenged this view, and evidence of ancient agriculture suggests that humans once developed this fragile region in ways so subtle that – in the form of carefully managed soils and prehistoric orchards – they have been hiding in plain sight all this time, challenging the basic tenants of “agriculture” as western eyes tend to recognize it. Continue reading “Unrecognized Potential: Terra Preta, Ancient Orchards, and Life in the Amazon”
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The Andes, the Inca, the Spanish, and the Making of Modern South America
A Guided Tour of Bolivia, 2016.
A Guided Tour of Peru, 2016.
Potosi and the Globalization of an Empire
Globalization is nothing new – the indigenous peoples slaving away in the Potosi mines 500 years ago could tell you all about it, while Europeans cracked the whip in order to buy Asian-made goods at affordable prices. Add in the fact that the mines were supplied with food and coca by African slaves laboring away in the low lands, and you have a template for the modern integrated global economy – exploitation, unequal rewards, and all. Continue reading “Potosi and the Globalization of an Empire”
The Inca: Church, State, and the Arc of History in the Realm of the Four Parts
July 27, 2016: New Horizons in South America and Beyond
This may have looked like a blog about some dude’s vacation. And I won’t lie, I’ve absolutely enjoyed myself out here. But it has been so much more than just a trip through South America… The reason I wanted to be here – and the reason that Fund for Teachers so generously funded my research – is that there is something seriously lacking in the historical and cultural education of our students, at least in the United States where I teach. Continue reading “July 27, 2016: New Horizons in South America and Beyond”
July 23, 2016: An Offering for Tio
Inside the mines of Potosi, it is hot and the air is thick with silica and other particulate that will leave you with a nasty set of respiratory disorders if you stay here a few years. I’m just visiting to the morning, but it is telling that the guys who work here seem to be firmly between the ages of 18 and 35 or so. You don’t get old doing this job. Continue reading “July 23, 2016: An Offering for Tio”
July 20, 2016: Losing it in La Paz
This city is a mad house. Continue reading “July 20, 2016: Losing it in La Paz”
July 15, 2016: The Lake at the Top of the World
I spent last night on the floor of Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport. Now that Jasmine has gone home, I’ve pretty much given up on all of those silly frills and perks that girls like, like beds or showers. Continue reading “July 15, 2016: The Lake at the Top of the World”
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