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What disease did the Spanish bring to the Aztecs?
Aztec people of Mexico dying of smallpox introduced by the Spaniards. Epidemics soon became a common consequence of contact. In April 1520, Spanish forces landed in what is now Veracruz, Mexico, unwittingly bringing along an African slave infected with smallpox.
What role did Disease play in the Spanish conquest of the Americas?
Contrary to popular belief, it was not the European guns or fierce soldiers that conquered the native Americans, but instead it was the common childhood illnesses brought from the Old World by the European conquistadors. Diseases such as smallpox, measles, and typhus annihilated most of the American native populations.
What factors weakened the Aztecs making them vulnerable to the Spanish conquest?
Disease was a very important factor that led to the fall of the Aztec Empire. The Spanish brought many deadly diseases when they arrived in Mexico. The diseases, like smallpox, caused many Aztec die. The diseases also weakened many people which gave the Spanish an advantage while fighting.
What was the effect of diseases on the Aztec empire?
The mysterious epidemic that devastated Aztecs may have been food poisoning. In 1545, an unknown disease struck the Aztec Empire. Those who came down with it might become feverish, start vomiting, and develop blotches on their skin.
What diseases did the Spanish bring to the Mayans?
Epidemics incidentally introduced by the Spanish included smallpox, measles and influenza. These diseases, together with typhus and yellow fever, had a major impact on Maya populations.
What were the long term consequences of the Spanish conquest of the Americas?
When the Spanish conquered the Americas, they brought in their own religion. Hundreds of Native Americans converted to Christianity. Churches, monasteries, shrines and parishes were built. This was one of the Spanish’s main goals in colonization, as well as giving Spain more power.
What diseases did the Spanish bring to the Incas?
Earlier, the successful conquest of Mexican Aztec and Peruvian Inca empires by a handful of Spanish conquistadors led by Hernando Cortes and Francisco Pizarro, respectively, resulted in large part from epidemics of smallpox and measles virus infection that decimated the native defenders.
What caused the Aztecs downfall?
Lacking food and ravaged by smallpox disease earlier introduced by one of the Spaniards, the Aztecs, now led by Cuauhtemoc, finally collapsed after 93 days of resistance on the fateful day of 13th of August, 1521 CE.