The saga of the region's piecemeal incorporation into America involved bravery, gumption and careful planning-but also decades of brutal, intimate bloodshed.
In contrast, food production was adopted piecemeal in southwestern Europe (southern France, Spain, and Italy), where sheep arrived first and cereals later.
Pope Francis has said the current conflicts around the globe may already amount to a World War III, fought piecemeal with crimes, massacres and destruction.