Post #2

 Thus far, I have found this honors course to be extremely interesting. One of my favorite discussions we had, however, was about who was more civilized, the Europeans or the Indigenous peoples. When my family and I visited Peru, we visited an Inca site called Sacsayhuaman. Essentially, its a fortress about 12,000 feet in the mountains that has walls made of enormous stones, each perfectly fitted to those around it. How these stones were moved, let alone carved and placed perfectly together, boggles my mind. One of the discussions I had with my siblings was about the brilliance of the Inca, as well as other New World civilizations. We all lamented the fact that the Europeans had all but wiped them out, because we were thinking about the advancements that could have been made, and how far society could be now, if these civilizations had not been eradicated. Our discussion in class reminded me of this, causing me to revisit my speculations. I'll always wonder what the world could have been today if the Europeans hadn't destroyed the civilizations that were able to build structures that still stand and inspire awe today.

Comments

  1. Médar SerrataSeptember 11, 2021 at 7:40 AM

    Thank you for your post, Joe. The question of how the Incas were able to move and carve those stones has puzzled travelers, archaelogists, and historians for a long time. It is also a question at the core of Pablo Neruda's poem "The Hights of Macchu Picchu," which we are going to read next semester, so you will be able to connect to that poem at personal level.

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  2. Annika V.September 12, 2021 at 8:06 PM

    I was always interested in the Incas when we came across those three civilizations in school and it was always so amazing to me how they fit everything so perfectly. To think that they figured most of their ways out by themselves is what truly amazes me. It is interesting to think how different our world would be if we had those tactics today.

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