Possibly one of Cortes' greatest allies was a nameless black man, probably from Cuba or Haiti.3 Many people, amazed by the color of his skin came to see him. Soon many indians began falling ill with smallpox, which reached a point of epidemic. Smallpox and measles epidemics joined the conquering armies to make waste of the great Aztec empire. The population died by the thousands and caused a terrible depopulation of Mexico. It is not possible to determine whether it came from the Aztecs or the men of Pizarro.
Most historians feel that it came from Mexico and shifted south possibly through traders.
It is also possible that Huayna Capac died of smallpox. Eventually, considering both nations, an estimated 25 million died as a result of disease.6 Thousands, and eventually millions Indians of these two nations died at the hands of only a few hundred Spaniards. While this paper is a mere glimpse into the reality of what happened, researchers still remain confused. The vulnerability of these nations of millions directly led to their fall. Works Cited 1.