1491: Part One

by Charles C. Mann
This nonfiction book presents research about the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere before the arrival of Europeans in 1492, shedding new light on the knowledge that these groups had in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, agriculture, and more.


Here are links to our lists for the book: Introduction, Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Coda
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stratified
    socially hierarchical
    Although Hopewell villages were as small as those of their more egalitarian neighbors, they were stratified, with priestly rulers controlling the rest of the populace.
  2. fealty
    the loyalty that one owes to a country, sovereign, or lord
    Most of the time, the Patuxet sachem owed fealty to the great sachem in the Wampanoag village to the southwest, and through him to the sachems of the allied confederations of the Nauset in Cape Cod and the Massachusett around Boston.
  3. idolatry
    the worship of objects or images as gods
    But the Pilgrims, who regarded personal adornment as a species of idolatry, were dismayed by what they saw as the indigenous penchant for foppery.
  4. ingratiate
    gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts
    To ingratiate themselves with their hosts, Pring’s crew regularly played the guitar for them (the Indians had drums, flutes, and rattles, but no string instruments).
  5. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
    After the Pilgrims landed the other son ran off to live with some nearby Indians, leading to great consternation and an expedition to fetch him back.
  6. malaise
    a state of dysfunction and stagnation, as of a society
    Much as the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which killed tens of thousands in one of Europe's richest cities, prompted spiritual malaise across Europe, the New England epidemic shattered the Wampanoag’s sense that they lived in balance with an intelligible world.
  7. foment
    try to stir up
    Even as Tisquantum attempted to foment Indian distrust of Massasoit, he told the colonists that Massasoit was going to double-cross them by leading a joint attack on Plymouth with the Narragansett.
  8. hegemony
    the dominance or leadership of one social group over others
    The first period of hegemony was that of Chavín, which from about 700 B.C. to the dawn of the Christian era controlled the central coast of Peru and the adjacent mountains.
  9. accession
    the act of attaining a new office or right or position
    The plot circumvented, Washkar went to work eliminating any remaining objections to his accession.
  10. apocryphal
    being of questionable authenticity
    Surrounding him in his dream were "millions upon millions of men.” The Inka asked who they were. "Souls of the lost,” the multitude told him. All of them “would die from the pestilence,” each and every one. The story is probably apocryphal, but its import isn’t.
  11. vilification
    slanderous defamation
    Vehemently arguing against Dobyns, Denevan, Crosby, Cook, and Borah was David Henige, of the University of Wisconsin, whose book, Numbers from Nowhere, published in 1998, is a landmark in the literature of demographic vilification.
  12. endemic
    of a disease constantly present in a particular locality
    The virus had been endemic in Europe for centuries, which meant that most Europeans were exposed to it before adulthood.
  13. extrapolate
    draw from specific cases for more general cases
    Sahagún knew ten of the twelve Spaniards at the meeting, interviewed four of the Mexica priests, and filled in gaps by extrapolating from similar theological discussions in which he had participated.
  14. ephemeral
    lasting a very short time
    Because we human beings are transitory, our lives as ephemeral as dreams, the tlamatinime suggested that immutable truth is by its nature beyond human experience.
  15. egregious
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
    But the pain and death caused from the deliberate epidemics, lethal cruelty, and egregious racism pale in comparison to those caused by the great waves of disease, a means of subjugation that the Europeans could not control and in many cases did not know they had.
Created on Wed Mar 23 14:19:13 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Jun 30 11:11:17 EDT 2025)

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