Indians were here far longer than previously thought, these researchers believe, and in much greater numbers. And they were so successful at imposing their will on the landscape that in 1492 Columbus set foot in a hemisphere thoroughly marked by humankind.
-- Author (chapter 1 paragraph 5)

Importance: The population of the Indians prior to 1492 is one of the questions posed by the book. It is the contention of modern scientists that the Americas were much more populous than they were formerly believed to be.

Before Columbus, Holmberg believed, both the people and the land had no real history. Stated so baldly, this notion – that the indigenous peoples of the Americas floated changelessly through the millennia until 1492, -- may seem ludicrous. But flaws in perspective often appear obvious only after they are pointed out. In this case they took decades to rectify.
-- Author (chapter 1 paragraph 23)

Importance: The author is referring to Holmberg’s Mistake. Allan Holmberg was a grad student who spent...