Epidemics and conquest in New Spain. An approach to the diseases of the 16th century

Abstract

After the arrival of the Spaniards, the indigenous people were exposed to diseases that came from the Old Continent, such as smallpox, measles, mumps, among others. Since they did not have the necessary defenses or adequate medicines, they spread rapidly. This paper discusses six epidemics from a geographical-historical approach. It is divided into three parts: in the first part we discuss the approach used, in the second, the diseases and their consequences, and finally, the role of religion is discussed, since epidemics were considered as punishments from the gods and served for the conversion of the population.