Epidemics are not a recent phenomenon. Infectious diseases have wreaked havoc on human populations throughout history. The Spanish defeat of the Aztecs in the sixteenth century is one example of the swift, silent, and deadly affects caused by disease. It took only two years for Hernán Cortés to conquer and seize the Aztec empire for Spain. Cortés sailed from Cuba to Mexico in February 1519 with the intention of exploring and colonizing the region. By 1521, the Aztec ruler Montezuma had died, the capital city of Tenochtitlan was captured, and the empire formerly ruled by the Aztec peoples was under Spanish reign. The Spanish weapons, war tactics, and Cortés’s leadership abilities were undoubtedly a factor, but it was smallpox that was the most devastating to the Aztec population.
Native Americans such as the Aztecs had never come in contact with Old World diseases such as smallpox and therefore possessed no natural immunity to the virus; furthermore, no effective anti-viral therapies were available to treat it. Smallpox killed many of its Aztec victims from the onset of exposure, especially those who were more vulnerable, such as infants and young children. Many others were weakened by the virus, making them ill and making it more difficult to care for themselves and others in the community while fending off the Spanish invaders. In addition, with so many people in a debilitated state, they could not tend to crops or find other sources of food, which caused widespread famine and further diminished the immune systems of those who had survived the epidemic and were recovering.
https://www.pastmedicalhistory.co.uk/smallpox-and-the-conquest-of-mexico/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/how-smallpox-devastated-the-aztecs-and-helped-spain-conquer-an-american-civilization-500-years-ago
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Why did disease help the Spanish defeat the Aztec natives?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What is the theme of the chapter Lead?
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
The statement "Development policy needs to be about poor people, not just poor countries," carries a lot of baggage. Let's dis...
-
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that thrive in diverse environments (such as the ocean, the soil, and the human body). Various bac...
-
Note that these events are not in chronological order. The story is told by the narrator, looking back upon her life. The first notable even...
-
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
James is very unhappy on a number of occasions throughout the story, but he's especially unhappy with his life situation as the story be...
-
It seems most likely you are asking about Michael Halliday's theories of language. He argues children have seven main functions they use...
-
One of the plot lines in Pride and Prejudice is Mrs. Bennet’s plan to marry off her daughters, preferably to rich men. Throughout the novel...
No comments:
Post a Comment