logo

64 pages 2 hours read

Charles C. Mann

1491

Charles C. MannNonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2005

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Symbols & Motifs

Maize

Maize represents the concrete link between the present and the past, and the continuing endurance of "lost" civilizations in our world day. The difference between the terms "maize" and "corn," however, reflect how civilizations understand themselves, and their progenitors. To this end, the most significant fact about maize or corn is its development from a wild plant into a crop for consumption by the ancient civilizations of the Americas. Maize was developed and cultivated to ensure the survival of these civilizations, and continues to be an important staple today.

Corn is such an important aspect of our economic and cultural world today that its ancient, almost prehistoric origins are hopelessly obscure. The descendants of natives in the Americas today still describe themselves as "people of the maize"; such is the centrality of this food staple. The ubiquity of maize as "corn" in the modern word belies its origins but typifies a significant fact of cultural change: no civilization is entirely destroyed or wiped away.

Olmec Stone Heads

The stone head is one of the more difficult symbols in Mann's book. While the term "Olmec" is a more well-known name in Mesoamerican archaeology and anthropology, very little is actually known about the civilization to which it refers.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 64 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,450+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools