PROCESSES OF GLOBAL CHANGE

Lauren Campbell

Peoples and Empires

Europeans settled in the Native American lands to build their empire. Missionaries set out to spread Christianity among the Native Americans, and eventually built missions on the West side of the Americas.

The World in 1492

Agriculture, specifically the growth of wheat, rice, and corn helped with population growth due to its support with nutrional value in human diets.

“The introduction of Western Hemisphere crops to the rest of the globe encouraged explosive population growth and long-range improvement in human diet. Today 60 percent of the food eaten by the world's people is of American origin.”

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Agriculture not only helped with nutrition for the human population, but it also provided division of labor and helped with population growth.

“All developments of economically complex, socially stratified, politically centralized societies beyond the level of small nascent chiefdoms were based on food production.”

Spices and Other Things

The cocoa bean was a highly valuable object in the Mayan civilization.

Chocolate was used as a It was used as a “stimulant, intoxicant, hallucinogen, and aphrodisiac.”

It was also used for money in a Aztec marketplace, and was a symbol of wealth.

Eventually chocolate became domesticated and is to this day enjoyed a delicious treat!

The Columbian Exchange

The horse became one of the first European exports. The Native Americans in the Great Plains used the horse for transportation across great distances, but also for hunting and gathering. The horse changed their nomadic way of life, as well the lives of Europeans. To this day, horses are abundant and owned by many.