Exploring Columbus's Impact on the New World

From the writer of 1491— the best-selling research of the pre-Columbian Americas—a deeply partaking new historical past of probably the most momentous organic occasion for the reason that loss of life of the dinosaurs.

Over 200 million years ago, geological forces caused the continents to split apart, leading to the development of unique ecosystems on each half of the world. The arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas marked a significant turning point, ending this separation in one fell swoop. Driven by the pursuit of trade with China, Columbus unintentionally initiated a major ecological shift as European ships transported thousands of species to new territories across the oceans.

Researchers refer to the Columbian Exchange as the reason behind the presence of tomatoes in Italy, oranges in Florida, chocolates in Switzerland, and chili peppers in Thailand. What's more, unknown creatures such as earthworms, mosquitoes, cockroaches, honeybees, dandelions, African grasses, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and various rats also journeyed along. Like eager tourists, they ventured into lands unexplored, transforming lives and landscapes worldwide like never before.

Nearly a decade following Columbus' voyage, a Spanish explorer named Legazpi took over where Columbus had fallen short. He embarked westward in search of establishing steady trade with China, then the wealthiest and most powerful nation globally. Founding the city of Manila, Legazpi facilitated the exchange of silver from the Americas, mined by enslaved Africans and Indians, for silk to be sent back to Europe. This marked the advent of a truly interconnected global trade network, bringing together goods and people from every corner of the world for the very first time. Just as Columbus ushered in a biologically new world, Legazpi and the Spanish empire he represented set the stage for a revolutionary era in global economics.

As Charles C. Mann reveals, the Columbian Alternate underlies a lot of subsequent human historical past. Presenting the most recent analysis by ecologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians, Mann reveals how the creation of this worldwide community of ecological and financial change fostered the rise of Europe, devastated imperial China, convulsed Africa, and for 2 centuries made Mexico Metropolis—the place Asia, Europe, and the brand new frontier of the Americas dynamically interacted—the middle of the world. In such encounters, he uncovers the germ of right now’s fiercest political disputes, from immigration to commerce coverage to tradition wars.

In 1493, Charles Mann offers us an eye-opening scientific interpretation of our previous, unequaled in its authority and fascination.