Geographical determinism of settlement patterns: Native Americans to 1500
Rainforest
- Blackwater--acidic, low-oxygen water foraging and fishing; thin soils, little agriculture
- Whitewater--high oxygen water laden with silt creates floodplains (várzea) suitable for agriculture (e.g., Tapajos on T. River, major tributary of Amazon)
Coast: marine resources and agriculture permit emergence of towns (e.g., Tupinambá)
Highlands--semi-sedentary agriculture
Manioc: “as important to the food supply of the tropics as maize or potatoes is to the temperate zones”