Africa is were we say everything started out. But what changes would have happened if instead of Africa it all started in Mesoamerica? How different would things be? I've thought about this for a while after having read the question. And I have come to the conclusion that not much would have changed.
The only thing different would have been the animals. There are different types of animals in Africa and Eurasia than there are in the Americas. But still I don't believe that could have made a difference because Diamond says that animals evolved alongside humans and so whatever animals were there were the ones that would have evolved with the human.
Eurasia would have still been dominating because they still would have had the animals like horses and cows and others that would have really impacted their community. The Americas wouldn't know much about civilizations while the Eurasians would have.
It stared in Africa and it still didn't become the dominating county so why would things if it all stared in the Americas. The fertile crescent would have still been on the other side of the world so it still would have been hard for them to produce crops even if they did have the animals to do so.
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I totally agree with your last paragraph; I am very much convinced that Mesoamerica would have been a disastrous place to start evolving and spreading from. The fertile crescent is an important factor to get started off. I mean you can domesticate any type of animal big or small if you aren't going to have the resources to maintain it nor yourself for that matter. Plant domestication in Mesoamerica, believe would have to be established first and not only that but it would have to be a success in order to help it shift over to any kind of animal domestication; don't you think?
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit confused. I thought you meant that the Fertile Crescent would have started in Mesoamerica. If so then many things would be different. If we had all those crops here than our Indian civilizations might have become more civil. Instead of resorting to sacrifices and rituals to recieve blessings from the Gods.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you mean that humans would have started in Mesoamerica, than several things would also be different. First the animal would have been much different. They would be evolving as well, but not alongside humans and that would make all the difference. Second we could have been the conquerers not the conquest. Also time itself would have been slowed down. If humans evolved in Mesoamerica and the Fertile Crescent was still in its original location, than the Fertile Crescent wouldn't be so bountiful. The only reason the Fertile Crescent developed so well was because it had humans tempering with it. I think things would have been much different.