Flora/Fauna Indians Thought Spaniards demigods kissed hands feet

Plant differences (cacti)

No grapes ,Lord’s supper

In South and central America biggest quadruped is the Tapir
Reptiles, snakes, birds and insects really impressed Europeans. Europe has no reptile as big as the iguana.Vampire bats,Long anaconda, Andean Condor....impressive New World animals
Coronado on Bison:”as numerous as the fish in the sea”

South America far more rich zoologically “only Australia equals South America in being truly exceptional” North and South America have the only marsupials outside of Australia.


North America: “peerless System of lakes and rivers”


No Horses or cattle

Syphilis Thought to be a New World disease

Europeans heterosexual monogamy. Native Americans practiced “promiscuity,polygamy, incest and sodomy” p.(10)

Many Europeans thought that
“Indians were in league with hell” p.(10)
Genesis,Noah’s Ark....

The New World made many Europeans call into question the whole Christian cosmogony



If God had created all life in one week,in one place, why
was life so different in the New World???

Monogeneticism:

All people ,including Indians,are the
descendants of the same two people

Papal jurisdiction:1537 pope says you can’t treat the indians like “dumb brutes”

Christian view: “all men are brothers”This idea hurt and helped the indians.

Heresy of Polygeneticism: the idea of multiple creations




1859 Darwin’s Origin of
Species; with this came the idea of evolution and thinking in terms of millions of years

Australia has no land bridge;
this is extremely unique

Central American land bridge under water a long time (millions of years)

If the water level falls 40 meters,the Bering Land Bridge will appear again.


The camel and horse are North American in origin.



40,000-10,000 years ago mass extinctions took place on our continent; no one knows why

Men and women came to America Approx. 28,000 years ago.



Disease: smallpox was devastating

Racially similar : blood type 0 common among Native Americans Remarkably uniform

Original Indian immigrants were few in number

Harsh climate = survival of the fittest

Isolated: from 8000 BY to 1492 they developed in isolation

Arawaks



456 plant species are indigenous to Japan and North America

Jaguar is the largest indigenous cat in the Americas

Cortez/Aztecs
Pizzaro/Incas


Sir Francis Drake Coasted along California northward

Ferdinand and Isabella funded Columbus mission

Whales were the only large mammals not affected by the mass extinctions 40,000-10,000 years ago

Tierra Del Feugo is the name for the southern tip of South America