S4E198 - The First Smallpox in Mexico: A Pandemic's Arrival

In 1520, a single infected African slave arrived in Veracruz and unwittingly unleashed a catastrophe that would kill more Aztecs than any Spanish sword. In this episode, we trace the path of smallpox through the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, its devastating impact on the Aztec people, and its role in the fall of their empire. We explore the Nahuatl concept of 'huey cocoliztli' (the great pestilence), the testimony of survivors like those in the Florentine Codex, and the devastating loss of life that altered the course of history. We also discuss the biological, social, and political aftershocks of the disease, and...