Chemical Arts and Technologies of Indigenous Americans

Written records of knowledge in the pre-Columbian New World are virtually non-existent (in contrast to an abundance of such records for ancient China and the Near East). Consequently chemical knowledge in the Americas, prior to the arrival of Europeans, is poorly documented. The arts and technologies discussed in this volume are those known to have existed in pre-Columbian times, as well as those thought to have been developed by native peoples (independently of foreign influence) during the five centuries since the European conquest of the Americas began. Contents 1) Fire; 2) Preparing, cooking, and preserving foodstuffs; 3) Alcoholic beverages and vinegar; 4) Drugs and poisons; 5) Treatment of plant fibers; 6) Colorants and dyeing; 7) Etching; 8) Processing rubber, chicle, and beeswax; 9) Personal beautification, perfumes and incense, and cleansing agents; 10) Hide curing and feather work; 11) Embalming and mummification; 12) Salt making; 13) Building materials and architectural decoration; 14) Pottery making; 15) Lacquers and varnishes; 16) Metal-working and metallurgy.