The Martyred City Death and Rebirth in the Andes

Anthony Oliver-Smith

"Many of the disasters that plaque our era are much the same as those that have afflicted humankind since our beginnings.  Earthquakes, avalanches, droughts, floods, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, hurricanes, and other natural forces have been punishing human society with unhappy consistency throughout our existence.  However, incalculable human suffering and destruction have also issued from our inabilities to control our own technology and socials relations.  In many cases, our technology has allowed us to make vast improvements in our lives, but increasingly, we find that in solving one problem, we create others, often of more difficult and serious consequence than the original."