Actually, several New World Indian tribes invented the wheel but it never advanced beyond the stage of a toy for children. Lacking a sturdy draft animal like the ox or horse probably inhibited further development.
I would cite the example of the relatively-civilized Aztecs who practised ritual human sacrifice (and attempts to compare human sacrifice to the burning of witches ignore important differences in the two practices). I note also that the Inca's were a militarily-expansive empire (n
The Indians also practiced slash-and-burn agriculture, hardly environmentally friendly.