Latest / Culture Positive: An Infection Prevention Podcast / The Smallpox Conquest
Transcript
- Ally: Welcome to Culture Positive, an infection prevention podcast where healthcare, public health, and real life meet. I'm Allie, and by day I work in infection prevention at an academic hospital, bringing my background in epidemiology and public health into everyday practice. Each episode will dive into healthcare stories. Public health conversation, workplace reality, historical context, and the human side of this work. This is a space for curiosity, honesty, and hopefully some inspiration. I'm glad you're here. I nerd out on history. I find it fascinating to learn about other cultures, how they came to be, and even speculate how different the world might look today if certain events had played out differently. Just like with breaking news today, history is rarely just one story. There are so many different pieces, perspectives, and variations that shape what ultimately ends up in the history books. This actually came up during our first professional spotlight. Columbus did what? We all learned about Christopher Columbus discovering the new world in school. But did you learn in that same high school class about the role Columbus and his crew may have played in bringing syphilis to the Americas? I sure didn't. If you haven't checked out that episode yet, go give it a listen. Our guest brings her anthropology expertise into the conversation and dives into that fascinating theory. Speaking of conquistadors, let's talk about Hernan Cortez. A lot of us learn the story of Cortez defeating the Aztec Empire as one of a military conquest. But the fall of the Aztec Empire wasn't simply the result of superior warfare. An infectious disease played a pivotal role in the devastation of the Aztec population and the collapse of the empire. That disease? Smallpox. Let's get into it. Over 500 years ago, Cortez set sail from Cuba to head to Mexico with a simple mission. That man was looking for gold. I'm picturing the ending scene from National Treasure, when Ben Gates found an unbelievable amount of golden jewels that solidified the glory for his family. Ugh, such a good movie. Okay, back to Cortez. The wealth he foresaw for himself was so enticing. That Cortes actually disobeyed orders to go to Mexico. Diego Velasquez was another Spanish conquistador ordered him to stand down. Why? because Velazquez was suspicious of Cortes's motives and had concerns that Cortes might start acting in his own interest rather than following orders. You know, the gold of it all. Velasquez also wasn't a great guy. I guess we are learning that if you are known as a conquistador, probably not a great person. On April 22nd, 1519, a fleet of Spanish ships with 450 soldiers, 100 sailors, and 16 horses landed on a coastline along what is now present day Veracruz State. Cortez knew what needed to be done. First, he needed to build trust and establish relationships with the natives. The ultimate goal was to make it to the capital of the Aztec Empire. Tenochtitlan. Cortez was able watch Velazquez take over present day Cuba He sought to understand their culture and politics. The origins of the Aztecs aren't completely clear. Many historians believe they migrated from northern Mexico into Mesoamerica. During the 13th century, as a hunter-gatherer community. According to Aztec tradition, they were searching for a sign from their god that would tell them where to establish their new home. And the sign, an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak. The Aztec civilization flourished for several reasons, including their adaptation to their environment with incredible aquaculture systems. With crops like maize, potatoes, and avocados. Did you notice that I said aquaculture systems? There are reports of floating gardens. Along with agriculture, the capital. Tinachtilan was hub of commerce. On market days, it is believed that around 50,000 people would be out and about making trades and purchases at the height of the empire. What I would give to see what their farmers' markets were like. The Aztecs developed a powerful military system, an elaborate political structure, extensive trade networks, and a rich culture with religious traditions. By the early 16th century, the Aztec Empire had expanded across much of central Mexico. At its height, the Empire controlled hundreds of communities, and historians estimate that around 16 million people were under the Aztec Empire. Remember how Cortes came to present-day Mexico from Cuba via ships? You know where this is going. Someone on one of those ships was carrying more than just their personal items. They were curing an infectious disease, smallpox. Smallpox actually existed in ancient times in places like Egypt, India, and China. Smallpox started making its way through Europe during the 11th century crusades. When Europeans started traveling to other areas of the world to explore and colonize, and let's just call it what it is, slave trade. Smallpox and other infectious diseases join them on the journey. Smallpox is a very contagious disease caused by the variolavirus. As I mentioned earlier, smallpox was around during ancient times. Thanks to science, traces of smallpox pustules have been found on the head of the 3,000-year-old mummy. Of Pharaoh Ramses V. Symptoms of smallpox typically appear from 7 to 19 days after being in contact with someone who had smallpox. When symptoms do appear, it may include fever, muscle aches, headache, extreme tiredness, back pain, and vomiting. A few days later, spots on the body appear. They often start in the mouth and spread across the skin. Spots may appear to be red, purple, or brown. The spots tend to start at the top of the body, face, arms, then move to the legs, and finally show on the trunk and then hands and feet. Smallpox is extremely painful. The spots that appear eventually become blisters, and those blisters fill with pus, also known as pustuals. Eventually scabs will form and fall off, leaving scars all across the body. Not to bring up another historical figure, but Queen Elizabeth I had smallpox. She was reportedly so embarrassed by the scars on her face that she painted her face with white lead paint to cover up the scars. Not a form of makeup I would recommend. Along with lasting scars to remind those of the disease. there is a high death rate associated with smallpox. Around 30% of those who contract smallpox pass away. And these numbers unfortunately proved to be very accurate for the Aztecs. Getting back to our power-hungry colonizer Cortez, let's take ourselves back to 1520 in present-day Mexico. Although Cortez was a skilled leader, He and his force of perhaps a thousand Spaniards and some indigenous allies would not have been able to overcome a city of around two hundred thousand without help. He got it in the form of a smallpox epidemic that gradually spread inward from the coast of Mexico and decimated the population of the city. of Tenochtitlan in 1520, reducing its population by 40% in a single year. The Native people of the Americas, including the Aztecs, were especially vulnerable to smallpox. They had never been exposed to the virus, a true shock to their immune systems. And unfortunately at that time, there were no access to therapies. We actually have documentation from the smallpox epidemic from a victim. A great plague broke out here in Tenochtilan, striking everywhere in the city and killing a vast number of people. Sores erupted on our faces, our breasts, our bellies. We were covered with agonizing sores from head to toe. The illness was so dreadful that no one could walk or move. The sick were so utterly helpless that they could only lie on their beds like corpses. Unable to move their limbs or even their heads. They could not lie down or roll from one side to the other. If they did move their bodies, they screamed with pain. A great many died from this plague, and many others died of hunger. They could not get up to search for food, and everyone else was too sick to take care of them. So they starved to death in their beds. By the time the danger was recognized, The plague was so well established that nothing could halt it. Imagine how terrifying that would be. Not knowing what was happening and seeing your loved ones, neighbors, even those you have never met, be struck by such a horrible virus. Death spread so rapidly that supply networks and day to day services collapsed, a big one being food supply. Hunger and famine spread rapidly and also led to death of many. Individuals who were sick with smallpox could not get out to gather or prepare food. People could no longer attend to their crops, leading to widespread starvation, further weakening the immune systems of survivors of the epidemic. As stated earlier, the smallpox epidemic broke out in Tinichilan around September 1520. The epidemic lasted for at least 70 days and struck people in every nook and cranny of the city, immobilizing much of the population. Many of the afflicted could not walk or move. While many did die from the plague, we also had people die of starvation. smallpox took its toll on the Aztecs in several ways, as epidemics and pandemics often do. Not only were individuals affected with being sick, but the culture and civilization changed. People were unable to be a part of their community. There was the lack of resources, and fear was widespread. Current estimates suggest a population loss of between five to eight million people. During the 1520 smallpox outbreak in Mesoamerica, the Aztecs were not the only indigenous people to suffer from the introduction of European diseases. In addition to North America's Native American populations, the Mayan, the Ingan civilizations were also nearly wiped out by smallpox. Other European diseases, such as measles and mumps, also caused great devastation. Estimates place infectious diseases that Europeans brought to the New World reduced some indigenous populations by ninety percent or more. The length of the epidemic provided Cortez and his troops a desperately needed respite to reorganize and prepare a counterattack. Had there been no epidemic, the Aztecs known for their skilled warriors and strategic warfare. Could have easily defeated the Spaniards. But the epidemic ravaged Tenochtilan, and the Aztecs were unable to survive the Spanish conquest. Hernan Cortes's army headed to the Aztec capital on December 26, 1520. In May 1521, the Spanish army returned to an injured city, and they were able to capture the Aztec capital after just three months. Finally, on August 13, 1521, after several battles and nearly eight-day siege. Tanichilan surrendered, and the Spaniards announced their victory over the Aztec Empire. For our huddle corner, a section for some takeaways before signing off. It is once again unbelievable how devastating one virus can be to a certain population. The effects of the smallpox outbreak in Mesoamerica was so great because the indigenous people had never been exposed to smallpox before, and all it takes is one person, one animal, one pest to travel to a new place and carry an unknown disease. Would Cortez have been able to conquer the Aztec Empire if there was no smallpox epidemic that riddled this advanced civilization? We will never know. Thank you for listening to Culture Positive. If you have any questions or ideas for an episode, please send me an email at CulturePositive Pod at gmail.com. You can also find me on Instagram at CulturePositive Pod. Please like, share, and review the podcast wherever you listen. References for the episode can be found in the notes. Infection prevention is about more than policies and protocols. It's about people. Until next time, stay curious, stay compassionate, and keep building a culture that's truly positive.