that was left was a deadly inflation,a starving population,the rich richer,the poor poorer, and a ruined peasant class. Beyond all that,how certain are we that what was destroyed was inferior?Who were these people who came out on the beach and swam to bring presents to Columbus and his crew,who watched Cortes and Pizarro ride through their countryside,who peered out of the forests at the first white settlers of Virginia and Massachusetts? Columbus called them Indians,because he miscalculated the size of the earth.In this book we too call them Indians,with some reluctance,because it happens too often that people are saddled with names given them by their conquerors. And yet,there is some reason to call them Indians,because they did come,perhaps 25,000 years ago,from Asia,across the land bridge of the Bering Straits (later to disappear under water)to Alaska.Then they moved southward,seeking warmth and land, in a trek lasting thousands of years that took them into North America,then Central and South America.In Nicaragua,Brazil,and Ecuador their petrified footprints can still be seen,along with the print of bison,who disappeared about five thousand years ago,so they must have reached South America at least that far back Widely dispersed over the great land mass of the Americas,they Aumbered approximately 75 million people by the rime Columbus came,pehaps 25 million in North America.Responding to the different environments of soil and climate,they developed hundreds of different tribal cultures,perhaps two thousand different languages. They perfected the art of agriculture,and figured out how to grow maize(corn),which cannot grow by itself and must be planted,cultivated fertilized,harvested,husked, shelled.They ingeniously developed a variety ofother vegetables and fruits,as well as peanuts and chocolate and tobacco and rubber. On their own,the Indians were engaged ih the great agricultural revolution that other peoples in Asia,Europe,Africa werd going through about the same time. While many of the tribes remained omadic hunters and food gatherers in wandering, egalitarian communes,others began to live in more settled communities where there was more food,larger populations)mofe divisions of labor among men and women,more surplus to feed chiefs and priests.more leisure time for artistic and social work.for building houses.About a thousand years before Christ,while comparable constructions were going on in Egyp and Mesopotamia,the Zuni and Hopi Indians of what is now New Mexico had begun to build villages consisting of large terraced buildings,nestled in among cliffs and mountains for protection from enemies,with hundreds of rooms in each village.Before the arrival of the European explorers,they were using irrigation canals, dams,were doing ceramics,weaving baskets,making cloth out of cotton. By the time of Christ and Julius Caesar,there had developed in the Ohio River Valley a culture of so-called Moundbuilders,Indians who constructed thousands of enormous sculptures out of earth,sometimes in the shapes of huge humans,birds,or serpents,sometimes as burial sites,sometimes as fortifications.One of them was 3 1/2 miles long,enclosing 100 acres.These Moundbuilders seem to have been part of a complex trading system of ornaments and weapons from as far off as the Great Lakes,the Far West.and the Gulf of Mexico. About A.D.500,as this Moundbuilder culture of the Ohio Valley was beginning to decline,another culture was developing westward,in the valley of the Mississippi, centered on what is now St.Louis.It had an advanced agriculture,included thousands ofthat was left was a deadly inflation, a starving population, the rich richer, the poor poorer, and a ruined peasant class. Beyond all that, how certain are we that what was destroyed was inferior? Who were these people who came out on the beach and swam to bring presents to Columbus and his crew, who watched Cortes and Pizarro ride through their countryside, who peered out of the forests at the first white settlers of Virginia and Massachusetts? Columbus called them Indians, because he miscalculated the size of the earth. In this book we too call them Indians, with some reluctance, because it happens too often that people are saddled with names given them by their conquerors. And yet, there is some reason to call them Indians, because they did come, perhaps 25,000 years ago, from Asia, across the land bridge of the Bering Straits (later to disappear under water) to Alaska. Then they moved southward, seeking warmth and land, in a trek lasting thousands of years that took them into North America, then Central and South America. In Nicaragua, Brazil, and Ecuador their petrified footprints can still be seen, along with the print of bison, who disappeared about five thousand years ago, so they must have reached South America at least that far back Widely dispersed over the great land mass of the Americas, they numbered approximately 75 million people by the rime Columbus came, perhaps 25 million in North America. Responding to the different environments of soil and climate, they developed hundreds of different tribal cultures, perhaps two thousand different languages. They perfected the art of agriculture, and figured out how to grow maize (corn), which cannot grow by itself and must be planted, cultivated, fertilized, harvested, husked, shelled. They ingeniously developed a variety of other vegetables and fruits, as well as peanuts and chocolate and tobacco and rubber. On their own, the Indians were engaged in the great agricultural revolution that other peoples in Asia, Europe, Africa were going through about the same time. While many of the tribes remained nomadic hunters and food gatherers in wandering, egalitarian communes, others began to live in more settled communities where there was more food, larger populations, more divisions of labor among men and women, more surplus to feed chiefs and priests, more leisure time for artistic and social work, for building houses. About a thousand years before Christ, while comparable constructions were going on in Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Zuni and Hopi Indians of what is now New Mexico had begun to build villages consisting of large terraced buildings, nestled in among cliffs and mountains for protection from enemies, with hundreds of rooms in each village. Before the arrival of the European explorers, they were using irrigation canals, dams, were doing ceramics, weaving baskets, making cloth out of cotton. By the time of Christ and Julius Caesar, there had developed in the Ohio River Valley a culture of so-called Moundbuilders, Indians who constructed thousands of enormous sculptures out of earth, sometimes in the shapes of huge humans, birds, or serpents, sometimes as burial sites, sometimes as fortifications. One of them was 3 1/2 miles long, enclosing 100 acres. These Moundbuilders seem to have been part of a complex trading system of ornaments and weapons from as far off as the Great Lakes, the Far West, and the Gulf of Mexico. About A.D. 500, as this Moundbuilder culture of the Ohio Valley was beginning to decline, another culture was developing westward, in the valley of the Mississippi, centered on what is now St. Louis. It had an advanced agriculture, included thousands of No Profit Use Only