Why were the Aztecs, Mayas and Incas so far ahead of the natives of the African civilization?
In many ways, they weren’t. The Ethiopians could access Asian and European technology, and were masters of horse breeding. The Bantu peoples invented iron in the continent and spread it across the entire continent. The city of Timbuktu may not have been as populous as Tenochtitlan, and even Mali never reached the size of Tawantinsuyu, but they were every bit as culturally sophisticated. North Africa adopted Arabic and Roman cultures and integrated them with local systems. Others like the Yoruba kingdoms developed their own city states. The Swalihi coast had frequent trade with India.Really, when it comes to Africa and the Americas, it’s surprising the Americans look so good despite the far superior technology, higher literacy, and cultural diversity of Africa.
What are the similarities and differences of olmec and the aztecs?
the olmecs lived way before the aztecs(about 1500 bce to 350 bcd) the olmecs built several large head statues . they used and cultivated rubber extensively;being one of the first societies to use rubber. it is unclear how their civilization declined however.they were the first major civilization in northern mesoamerica the aztecs controlled large area of mesoamerica around the 14th century ce to the 16th ce. their main diet were maize,beans, and squash.they cultivated tobacco which would later become a major cash crop for the old world. hernan cortes first cakes into contact with the aztecs around the 1510s. its really hard to compare these 2 civilizations because they lived over 100 years apart .only similarities are they both believed in sacrifices and enoiyed cacao beans.the mayans however are muchesier to compare to the olmescs
What are some interesting cultures to study?
Any culture is interesting; however, the more it differs from my own culture the more interesting I find it. Because nature of globalization and migration many cultures are becoming blended. Rather than people sharing the same culture when this happens, people in a country or region split into many subcultures. Sometimes you will find this split based on vocation or interests rather than ethnic background, but it often becomes ethnic because that is easier to identify for people who want to belong. I find this intriguing because I suspect it is were our "classes" in society originated.
How was it possible that Homo Sapiens from Europe (white men) ended up being more advanced and modern than Homo Sapiens from America (Indians)?
Advanced is a judgment. And a snarky “European superiority” (White Supremacist) one too. Americans were very advanced. They had very elaborate cities, some of which were larger and better built than any cities in Europe (and cleaner too!). They had game, wild food, resources that simply were not available in Europe. By 1492, most of the game in Europe was gone, many of the rivers were polluted by the cities, diseases like Black Death, Smallpox, and a host of other diseases were making life difficult, and a lot of these technological advances were likely due to the need for better tools, more production of crops, and the need to make royalty happy.The “Indians” were very crafty and smart, but they only did what was needed to have a good life. In most of America, game was abundant, thus there was no need for development of high tech weapons. Some, you could walk out to the edge of the village, and literally knock it in the head. For the Great Plains, you only had to go out in a Bison robe, amble into the herd, and spear one between the ribs. You could feed a village on one Bison, and would not have to hunt for a while. In Europe, you had to have weapons to make almost continuous war. You had to have farming tools, as domestic animals take a lot of care. For the Indian, war was seasonal, and usually just skirmishes, so no need for technology there.Take a look at the Inca, the Maya, the Olmec, the Toltec, even the Hopi and Zuni. There just simply was no need for technology here, and nobody bothered to invent it. Plus, what was advanced in 1492? Firearms? HA! The Spanish carried swords and bows and arrows. The firearms were just for show. Advanced metal working? First, if you don’t need it, why bother, plus, the Inca had some high tech gold working techniques that took modern folks a long time to replicate.I was watching “Hell on Wheels” the other night, and there was a scene where Thomas Durant was attempting to talk Chief Many Horsed (a Cheyenne, I think) played by Wes Studi (a Cherokee for gosh sake) into settling down on a reservation, and saying what kinds of wonderful things the White Man had and could give him, and the Chief responded something like “we like our way of life just fine - we have plenty of food, we have a good life, we don’t have to work hard like the Whites - why would we want your way of life?” Yeah, why.