[ Yep, white Europeans have done more to shape the modern world than all other races combined. After dumping 100s of billions into Africa, they are still incapable of doing much on their own. It’s really pathetic, but sometimes one wonders if there really is a missing link, and if so, if it lives in Africa. ]
One of the problems is that in tropical and savannah environments you either have it too easy or too hard for a society and innovation to be created as easily.
This is why Indians in the amazons never develop much in terms of technology, there is not a constantly changing climate. And why the Inuit haven’t developed cities, it is either too harsh or too easy to live thus leading to either need for constant survival or no need to innovate.
In the northern latitudes (where you have distinct seasons) the need for innovation increases and there is a need for the LONG term planning, this is why the northern Europeans, certain places in the middle east, the Chinese and Japanese have been technological innovators over the last 1,000 years. even the northern American Indians were innovating (the non-nomadic tribes) culturally and engineering of their buildings etc...
Now what about the Aztechs and the Egyptians and even the Mayans... True they developed a bunch tech and made impressive monuments, but their innovations have always come at the expense of using people as “cheap labor commodities” and their cultures were always much more at the mercy of the climate and usually a natural climate shift would have a lot heavier impact on them than it would their northern cousins who were adapted to a constant change in climate called seasons.
I suggest much of it is tied to the Bell IQ Curve and an innovative drive coupled with a work ethic second to none. I don’t wish to offend, but the climatic conditions have been used as an excuse for the non-productive peoples’ behavior.