Their arrows rained upon the Spaniards. The Conversation UK receives funding from these organisations. Some it indeed covered [with pustules]; they were spread everywhere, on one's face, on one's head, on one's breast, etc. More than three million Aztec succumbed to the disease. He became fascinated with tales of Christopher Columbus' New World explorations. The Aztecs (/ ˈ æ z t ɛ k s /) were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. These turn into scabs which leave scars. Source: Painted in the seventeenth century, the eight detailed canvases tell the story of the 1521 Spanish conquest of the native Aztec people. - It took Cortes some time to return to the Aztec capital. Ethnohistorical sources document smallpox's effect on Native American morale, health, social structure, and population size. Richard Gunderman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Columbus had set sail hoping t… Within a few decades of their first contact with Europeans, the Aztec and Inca succumbed to smallpox death at rates as high as 90%. Why do you think people died of "famine" during this epidemic? The ability of smallpox to incapacitate and decimate populations made it an attractive agent for biological warfare. Many times he fought, and the Mexicans contended against him. States History, European The native people of the Americas, including the Aztecs, were especially vulnerable to smallpox because they’d never been exposed to the virus and thus possessed no natural immunity. 1800's Vaccinia virus used in vaccinations against variola 1950 — It was in Tepeilhuitl that it originated, that there spread over the people a great destruction of men. The Democratic Republic of Congo is fighting a deadly outbreak of Ebola that has killed hundreds. because the over sacrificing of humans. Because it spreads through infected saliva droplets, smallpox is easily transmitted by face-to-face contact. Ramses V, for example, who ruled for roughly four years in the 12th century B.C., looks to have had th… Smallpox undoubtedly played a huge part in the fall of the Aztec Empire. No longer could they walk; they only lay in their abodes, in their beds. — There was much perishing. Discovering widespread resentment toward the capital city and its ruler, CortГ©s formed alliances with many locals. The Marquis knew that the man of Tenochtitlan was a great warrior. Bernal Díaz del Castillo was a young member of Cortés's army who had come to Cuba, like Cortés, to seek his fortune. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern European and World history. 1520 Millions of Aztec people die in smallpox epidemic. But before the Spaniards had risen against us, first there came to be prevalent a great sickness, a plague. When his small fleet landed, he ordered his ships scuttled, eliminating any possibility of retreat and conveying the depth of his resolve. In the 18th century, the British tried to infect Native American populations. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, General History of the Things New Spain, Arthur J. O. Anderson and Charles E. Dibble, trans, book 12, "The Conquest of Mexico" (Santa Fe: School of American Research and the University of Utah, 1975), XXXX. The Aztecs made Cuauhtémoc the next tlatoani. AD 1518: Mayans report smallpox spread to Yucatan Peninsula Mayan writings record that tribal trade expeditions traveling by canoe have spread smallpox to the Yucatan Peninsula from Hispaniola. Scanned from (2009) Viruses, Plagues, and History: Past, Present and Future, Oxford University Press, USA, p. The Brohen Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico (Boston: Beacon Press, 1962), pp. And some widespread infectious dieseases have profoundly changed the course of human history. It was at the time that the Spaniards set forth from Mexico. In turn, CortГ©s took Montezuma prisoner. Within just two years, Aztec ruler Montezuma was dead, the capital city of Tenochtitlan was captured and CortГ©s had claimed the Aztec empire for Spain. That reflects me a lot, because if all I was doing was working all day then sacrificing people that would not be a fun life. No such catastrophe actually occurred." These two empires came face to face in 1428 CE with the Tepanec War. Columbus had landed at San Salvador and explored the West Indies in 1492, when Cortés was a young boy. One commander wrote, “We gave them two blankets and a handkerchief out of the smallpox hospital. First, it killed many of its victims outright, particularly infants and young children. And when they bestirred themselves, much did they cry out. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern European and World history. A few mummies from that era contain familiar-looking skin lesions. Finally, people could no longer tend to their crops, leading to widespread famine, further weakening the immune systems of survivors of the epidemic. Before the arrival of Cortés, 30 million people were living in Mexico. Twenty-ninth Chapter, in which it is told how there came a plague, of which the natives died. Sores erupted on our faces, our breasts, our bellies; we were covered with agonizing sores from head to foot.”. Although CortГ©s was a skilled leader, he and his force of perhaps a thousand Spaniards and indigenous allies would not have been able to overcome a city of 200,000 without help. None of the Mexicans died. Sahagún transcribed the Historia General de las Cosas de la Nueva Españia ("General History of the Things of New Spain," also known as the Florentine Codex) as it was told to hi… He got it in the form of a smallpox epidemic that gradually spread inward from the coast of Mexico and decimated the densely populated city of Tenochtitlan in 1520, reducing its population by 40 percent in a single year. York, York, Helping your child with contamination related concerns And the Marquis [Cortés] went to settle himself in Coyoacan, and it became the Marquis's responsibility, as well as the road coming from Acachinanco to Tenochtitlan. Though vastly outnumbered, he and a small force marched on Tenochtitlan, where Montezuma received them with honor. In the meantime a Spanish priest left a description of what happened: 1796 Jenner shows persons inoculated with cowpox virus are resistant to smallpox. by . This text is part of the Internet Modern History Sourcebook . He joined Cortés in the expedition to Tenochtitlán. Five hundred years ago, in February of 1519, the Spaniard HernГЎn CortГ©s set sail from Cuba to explore and colonize Aztec civilization in the Mexican interior. ... Smallpox spread rapidly among the Aztec warriors and elites. The Aztec account of the conquest of Mexico is found in Book XII of the Florentine Codex. I hope it will have the desired effect.” During World War II, British, American, Japanese and Soviet teams all investigated the possibility of producing a smallpox biological weapon. Smallpox is caused by an inhaled virus, which causes fever, vomiting and a rash, soon covering the body with fluid-filled blisters. — The Spaniards hoped to use the information in his record to convert the Indians to Catholicism. Like a covering, covering-like, were the pustules. Miguel Leon Portilla, a Mexican anthropologist, gathered accounts by the Aztecs, some … How does the Aztec account compare to that of the "first plague" described by Motolinía? Spanish weaponry and tactics played a role, but most of the destruction was wrought by epidemics of European diseases. First, it killed many of its victims outright, particularly infants and young children. The document has been formatted to fit perfectly on one paper for easy printing.This primary source document includes background on, the text of, and text-dependent questions for letter correspondence between two British officers planning t. ... Smallpox and the Aztecs. Recent investigations have suggested that other infectious agents, such as Salmonella – known for causing contemporary outbreaks among pet owners – may have caused additional epidemics. Source Type: Images. He was the only son of noble, though not wealthy, parents. In many places it happened that everyone in a house died, and as it was impossible to bury the great number of dead, they pulled down the houses over them, so that their homes became their tombs.”. Even in this one chapter describing the appearance of smallpox in the fall of 1520, the war against the invading Spaniards remained the central theme. At that time the Mexicans, the brave warriors were able to recover from the pestilence. Although written earlier, The T… Diseases brought to the Americas by Europeans after the Columbian Exchange caused a population decline among Native Americans that was the largest in human history. Called "the speckled monster," smallpox was considered "the most terrible of all the ministers of death." After a three-month siege, Spanish forces under Hernán Cortés capture Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec empire. Direct transmission of the virus requires fairly prolonged face-to-face contact. Then the Spaniards turned their backs. "Nothing in the historical record allows us to feel confident that one-third to one-half of the Aztec population died of smallpox in 1520. By around 1400 CE several small empires had formed in the Valley of Mexico and dominant amongst these were Texcoco, capital of the Acholhua region, and Azcapotzalco, capital of the Tepenec. 100 years later, after a series of smallpox epidemics had decimated the local population, it is estimated only around 1.5-3 … At this time this plague prevailed indeed sixty days — sixty day-signs — when it ended, when it diminished; when it was realized, when there was reviving, the plague was already going toward Chalco. Owner: University of New Mexico Press. Indeed many people died of them, and many just died of hunger. This chronicle represents the perspective of a foot soldier; perhaps Bernal Díaz intended to valorize the men who explored and fought alongside Cortés. Introduction of smallpox into Mexico by the Spanish around 1520 was one of the factors that led to the demise of Aztec Empire. His ally in this fight was the European germs he and his men unwittingly brought with them. Introduction to the Source. What story does the image of the epidemic tell? History. Sahagún transcribed the Historia General de las Cosas de la Nueva Españia ("General History of the Things of New Spain," also known as the Florentine Codex) as it was told to him by Aztec elders who had witnessed the events that led to the fall of Tenochtitlán. Birmingham, Warwickshire, The Large Hadron Collider and the Hidden Universe Recent outbreaks in the U.S. have drawn attention to the dangers of measles. And when this had happened, then the Spaniards came. The virus can be transmitted: 1. Smallpox existed in ancient times in Egyptian, Indian and Chinese cultures. The brave warriors waged war in boats; the shield-boatmen shot arrows at them. Cortés men leveled the city and captured Cuauhtemoc, the Aztec emperor. As presented here, how frightful was the event for the inhabitants of Tenochtitlán? In addition to North America’s Native American populations, the Mayan and Incan civilizations were also nearly wiped out by smallpox. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Online talk: Net zero – why and how? Some researchers argue that the way Native Americans viewed the disease, as well as their methods of disease treatment and response to … Portsmouth, Hampshire, Copyright © 2010–2021, The Conversation Trust (UK) Limited. Sources suggest that the loss of human life was disproportionately one-sided; during the siege, it is estimated that 100 Spaniards lost their lives, compared to as many as 100,000 Aztecs, many of whom died to smallpox. Records confirm there was a smallpox epidemic in 1519 and 1520, immediately after the Europeans arrived, killing between 5 and 8 million people. On August 13, 1521, the city fell to Cortes. Helping your child with contamination related concerns, Online talk: Net zero – why and how? 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