THE AMERICAS
For 15,000 years, two massive continents developed in total isolation from the rest of humanity. When the oceanic wall was finally breached in 1492, the resulting collision created the modern world.
The Americas
Exports to Afro-Eurasia
- Potatoes
- Maize (Corn)
- Tomatoes
- Cacao (Chocolate)
- Tobacco
- Vanilla
Afro-Eurasia
Exports to The Americas
- Wheat
- Sugar Cane
- Coffee
- Rice
- Apples
- Citrus
The global diet was rewritten. The caloric density of New World potatoes fueled a massive population boom in Europe, while Old World sugar cane became the devastating cash crop of the Americas.
Regional Epochs
Pre-Columbian Era
Advanced mathematics, precise astronomy, and massive urban centers like Tenochtitlan built without beasts of burden or the wheel.
The Colonial Era
Conquistadors, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and the extraction of Andean silver that single-handedly fueled the global economy.
Age of Revolutions
The domino effect of independence. The American Revolution, the Haitian slave revolt, and the liberation campaigns of Simón Bolívar.
The Modern Hemisphere
Industrialization, the Monroe Doctrine, Cold War proxy conflicts, and the rapid rise of the United States as a global hegemon.
Sub-Regions
North America
Mesoamerica
The Andes
The Caribbean
Archaeological Decoder: Radiocarbon Dating
How do we know humans arrived in the Americas 15,000 years ago? We measure the radioactive decay of Carbon-14 found in ancient campfires and bones.
While alive, an organism absorbs Carbon-14. When it dies, absorption stops, and the Carbon-14 slowly decays into Nitrogen-14. By measuring the ratio of C-14 remaining, we can pinpoint its exact age.
- = Remaining Carbon-14
- = Initial Carbon-14 (at time of death)
- = Decay Constant (Half-life is ~5,730 yrs)