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Disease, Not Swords: Smallpox's Conquest of Americas
30 Jul
Summary
- Ancient DNA from Chilean mummies provides first molecular evidence of smallpox.
- Smallpox pathogen belonged to an extinct lineage, between medieval and later strains.
- Disease decimated indigenous populations, aiding Spanish conquest of empires.
Genetic analysis of ancient DNA from two mummies in northern Chile has provided the first molecular evidence of the smallpox virus brought to the Americas by Europeans.
These individuals, who died during the early Spanish colonial period, harbored an extinct lineage of the variola virus. This pathogen, to which indigenous populations had no prior exposure or immunity, proved catastrophic.
Smallpox, a disease that historically caused widespread epidemics and killed hundreds of millions globally before its eradication in 1980, is estimated to have wiped out approximately 90% of the native peoples in the Americas. This devastating population collapse significantly aided the Spanish in conquering the Aztec, Maya, and Inca empires.
The recovered viral genomes suggest the pathogen had reached an evolutionary optimum for transmission, spreading rapidly through non-immune populations. This biological onslaught, alongside the psychological impact of the mysterious and deadly illness, played a crucial role in the colonization of the New World.
