States History, European Smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways. The Aztec peoples included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica from the 14th to the 16th centuries. 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. Scanned from (2009) Viruses, Plagues, and History: Past, Present and Future, Oxford University Press, USA, p. Smallpox is believed to have first infected humans around the time of the earliest agricultural settlements some 12,000 years ago. Columbus had set sail hoping t… Sahagún is regarded as a sensitive recorder and translator of the Aztec stories, but it is important to keep in mind that the words you read below have been transferred to paper through the pen of a Spanish interpreter. Smallpox contributed to the decline of the Aztec Empire, in what is now Mexico, following the virus's arrival with Spanish conquerors in 1519. Spanish weaponry and tactics played a role, but most of the destruction was wrought by epidemics of European diseases. Recent outbreaks in the U.S. have drawn attention to the dangers of measles. Pedro de Alvarado's [a lieutenant of Cortés] responsibility became the road coming to Tlatilulco. "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. Portsmouth, Hampshire, Copyright © 2010–2021, The Conversation Trust (UK) Limited. 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. Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University. 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. 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. Its name was smallpox. What story does the image of the epidemic tell? Spanish invaders, including Hernán Cortés, who will wage war against the Aztecs, will carry the smallpox inland. At age 14, Cortés was sent to study law at the University of Salamanca, but he was restless and unhappy. He wrote The True History of the Conquest of Mexico in the 1560s as a corrective to a very flattering biography of Cortés published in the preceding decade. Many great encounters in world history, including CortГ©s’s clash with the Aztec empire, had less to do with weaponry, tactics and strategy than with the ravages of disease. Smallpox existed in ancient times in Egyptian, Indian and Chinese cultures. Within a few decades of their first contact with Europeans, the Aztec and Inca succumbed to smallpox death at rates as high as 90%. Another reason is because Inca was not as worried about religion 24-7 like other civilizations were. — The Aztecs believed that the gods required human hearts and blood, leading to the sacrifice of thousands of war captives. No longer could they walk; they only lay in their abodes, in their beds. After a three-month siege, Spanish forces under Hernán Cortés capture Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec empire. No such catastrophe actually occurred." York, York, Helping your child with contamination related concerns It remained endemic in human populations for millennia, coming to Europe during the 11th century’s Crusades. None of the Mexicans died. In 1519 Hernan Cortés sailed from Cuba, landed in Mexico and made his way to the Aztec capital. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern European and World history. Following victor… Because it spreads through infected saliva droplets, smallpox is easily transmitted by face-to-face contact. Although written earlier, The T… These two empires came face to face in 1428 CE with the Tepanec War. When Berdardino de Sahagún, a Franciscan friar who came to Mexico in 1529 as one of the first Spanish missionaries, learned the Aztec language, his superiors directed him to compile a record in Nahuatl of Aztec history and customs. Date: 1557. In addition to North America’s Native American populations, the Mayan and Incan civilizations were also nearly wiped out by smallpox. There was death from hunger; there was no one to take care of another; there was no one to attend to another. No surviving evidence of it, however, predates the so-called New Kingdom of Egypt, which lasted from about 1570 B.C. Richard Gunderman is a Friend of The Conversation. Many times he fought, and the Mexicans contended against him. More on Teaching the History of the Early Americas. First, it killed many of its victims outright, particularly infants and young children. There the responsibilities were then divided; there, there was a division. Painted in the seventeenth century, the eight detailed canvases tell the story of the 1521 Spanish conquest of the native Aztec people. The Spaniards hoped to use the information in his record to convert the Indians to Catholicism. And other European diseases, such as measles and mumps, also took substantial tolls – altogether reducing some indigenous populations in the new world by 90 percent or more. As presented here, how frightful was the event for the inhabitants of Tenochtitlán? It came to be prevalent in Teotleco, and it went diminishing in Panquetzaliztli. - The Aztecs contracted smallpox from the dead soldier. This chronicle represents the perspective of a foot soldier; perhaps Bernal Díaz intended to valorize the men who explored and fought alongside Cortés. Natives writing in Nahuatl under the supervision of the Spanish Fray Bernardino de Sahagún … Through a system of conquest and tribute, the Aztecs had established the great island city of Tenochtitlan in Lake Texcoco that ruled over an area of about 80,000 square miles. More than three million Aztec succumbed to the disease. Smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways. The Aztecs made Cuauhtémoc the next tlatoani. Population figures for the indigenous peoples of the Americas prior to colonization have proven difficult to establish. Smallpox had been introduced to the Aztecs through the Spanish, and during those months the disease killed half of Tenochtitlán’s inhabitants, among them the emperor Cuitláhuac. In the meantime, Cortés constructed 13 small ships to launch against the city during his next attack. Some it indeed covered [with pustules]; they were spread everywhere, on one's face, on one's head, on one's breast, etc. Smallpox undoubtedly played a huge part in the fall of the Aztec Empire. The Azcapotzalco forces were defeated by an alliance of Texcoco, Tenochtitlan (the capital of the Mexica) and several other smaller cities. By August of 1521, the glorious city of Tenochtitlan was in ruins. 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. At that time the Mexicans, the brave warriors were able to recover from the pestilence. Smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways. The final case occurred in 1978, when a photographer died of the disease, prompting the scientist whose research she was covering to take his own life. to 1085 B.C. 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. by . YorkTalks 2021 Records confirm there was a smallpox epidemic in 1519 and 1520, immediately after the Europeans arrived, killing between 5 and 8 million people. Introduction to the Source. This drawing from the Florentine Codex is one of the earliest images of Native Americans infected with smallpox. This region was home to the Aztec civilization, an empire of an estimated 16 million people at this time. Online, Oxfordshire, Angela Saini - Race, Gender and Power Recalling the epidemic, one victim reported: “The plague lasted for 70 days, striking everywhere in the city and killing a vast number of our people. One commander wrote, “We gave them two blankets and a handkerchief out of the smallpox hospital. 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. 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. Primary Source Reading: Aztec Accounts of the Conquest. Though vastly outnumbered, he and a small force marched on Tenochtitlan, where Montezuma received them with honor. CortГ©s with his 500 men then headed into the Mexican interior. After 1570, why was Japan supplanted as the primary source of silver for China? 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. First, it killed many of its victims outright, particularly infants and young children. And many people were harmed by them on their faces; their faces were roughened. And on some, each pustule was placed on them only far apart; they did not cause much suffering, neither did many die of them. The virus can be transmitted: 1. Of course, the Aztecs were not the only indigenous people to suffer from the introduction of European diseases. 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. — Sores erupted on our faces, our breasts, our bellies; we were covered with agonizing sores from head to foot.”. - In fighting with the Aztecs, the Spanish eventually had to retreat (glossing over lots of details here), but the infected soldier died. Called "the speckled monster," smallpox was considered "the most terrible of all the ministers of death." The Spaniards hoped to use the information in his record to convert the Indians to Catholicism. In the meantime a Spanish priest left a description of what happened: 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. Part A below consists of the Aztec description of the epidemic. Indeed many people died of them, and many just died of hunger. Happily, worldwide vaccination efforts have been successful, and the last naturally occurring case of the disease was diagnosed in 1977. 1520 Millions of Aztec people die in smallpox epidemic. Smallpox endemic in India, spread to China, Japan, Europe, and north Africa. In what ways do the Smallpox Factsheet and Photographs help you interpret Sahagún's account of the Aztec experience in 1520? A 16th-century Aztec drawing of smallpox victims. Myles Allen, Kaya Axelsson, Sam Fankhauser & Steve Smith in conversation, The Large Hadron Collider and the Hidden Universe. Helping your child with contamination related concerns, Online talk: Net zero – why and how? Indiana University provides funding as a member of The Conversation US. 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. The ability of smallpox to incapacitate and decimate populations made it an attractive agent for biological warfare. Smallpox is caused by an inhaled virus, which causes fever, vomiting and a rash, soon covering the body with fluid-filled blisters. Many other adults were incapacitated by the disease – because they were either sick themselves, caring for sick relatives and neighbors, or simply lost the will to resist the Spaniards as they saw disease ravage those around them. Of some, the eyes were injured; they were blinded. There was much perishing. And when this had happened, then the Spaniards came. How to Use the, United The Aztec authors of the codex described how smallpox caused many deaths soon after the Spaniards arrived, not only because of the disease itself but also because so few remained healthy enough to feed and tend … On August 13, 1521, the city fell to Cortes. Mass vaccination against smallpox got going in the second half of the 1800s. 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