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Guns Germs and Steel, Notes on details and context:, Guns, Germs &…

- - - - Europeans had a much larger advantage with the land they could grow their agriculture and livestock on compared to the Incas who could never be as productive as the European farmers.
      - Humans started working with metal 7,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. Because Europe was close to the Fertile Crescent, Europeans were able to adopt the metal technology.
      - The shape of the continents disallowed for the Mayan language and text to spread south to the Andes. Crops were able to spread easily across Europe and Asia because the regions share similar latitude, climate, day length, and vegetation. But for the Americas, this spread goes north to south with different latitudes, climate, day length, and vegetation. Because of this, the spread of crops and animals as well as people, ideas, and technologies southward was more difficult to achieve.
      - Pizarro and his men were geographically blessed as Spaniards were able to adopt spread of ideas and technologies that spread easily across Eurasia
      - In almost every way, advantages of geography was in the Europeans favor
  - - - Farming and agriculture began in the region known as the fertile crescent, modern day northern part of the Arabian Peninsula, and spread into north Africa and Europe (crops and animals). This triggered an explosion of civilization. (Mesopotamia.)
      - Livestock did not only provide a source of meat, but also a source of milk and wool, leather and manure, and even muscle power. Horses and oxen were domesticated and helped in the production of crops. More food fed more people which allowed for the creation of more complex societies.
      - Horses could be ridden by conquistadores. Conquistadores were able to control and maneuver their horses in a very tactical and skillful way.
      - Crops were able to spread easily across Europe and Asia because the regions share similar latitude, climate, day length, and vegetation.
  - - - The Spanish were armed with some of the best weapons in the world. At the time of the conquistadores, Spain had the largest army in all of Europe.
      - Spaniards had been at war for over 700 years fighting against the Moors and other European armies. There was an arms race in Europe which forced Spaniards to keep up with the best weapons at all times
      - The haka bus gun was an important part in Spaniards weaponry. Gun powder originated in China but it's use as a weapon was pioneered by the Arabs. The Europeans made guns lighter and more portable and they were used for the first time by foot soldiers on a battlefield
      - The Incas had never seen a weapon like the haka bus and would have been completely startled at the sight of its use
      - The Europeans were able to improve the metal technology, making swords longer and sharper for soldiers to use.
  - - - Europe had advantage of technological advancements with navigation, sails, metal and steel, and weaponry. Europe already had scholars in math and science allowing for these advancements to occur.
      - Production of steel. Toledo was home to some of the best sword smiths in the world. Spaniards were able to make strong and deadly steel weapons while the Incas were still making simple bronze tools
      - The printing press allowed for knowledge to be spread through books across all of Europe and Asia
  - - - 12 years before Pizarro arrived in Cajamarca, a Spanish ship sailed into Mexico carrying a slave who was suffering from a fever. He was the first person to bring a disease into the Americas. Smallpox. It spreads rapidly.
      - Patient of smallpox is highly infectious as the blisters can spread the germs onto any surface. Allows disease to spread exponentially.
      - Eventually spreads through the new world into the Incan Empire
      - Germs were one sided because Pizarro had domestic animals and grew up with the germs from domestic animals which were the source of very infectious and deadly diseases. These epidemics spread and were deadly at first experience however, the epidemics made Europeans more resilient the more in recurs.
      - natural selection allowed for those with natural immunity to the epidemics to survive and pass on immunity to children while others died off. The Incas never had this protection.