Well yes, obviously—but Mexican epidemiologist Rodolfo Acuña-Soto thinks that the 16th Century plague that reduced the Aztec population from 22 million to 2 million was not smallpox brought over by the Spaniards. Aztec historians of the time referred to it by a different name than smallpox, with which they were familiar(!), and, after 12 years of research, Acuña-Soto concurs.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this article is the precision with which Acuña-Soto can track the spread of the epidemic four centuries later. That's because the Spanish kept such exceptional records, especially involving census and property.
My wife is researching a historical novel set in 17th Century Peru, and she has been telling me about the remarkably exciting portrait of the era that talented historians like James Lockhart, who are using those "dry" receipts and ledgers to make an era come alive.
Or, apparently, to solve 400-year-old mysteries—or should we say misdiagnoses?
