Cocoliztli Epidemic Cause Mystery

In 1545, a terrifying epidemic called "cocoliztli" tore through New Spain and killed millions of Indigenous people in what is now Mexico. Victims developed high fevers, bleeding, and rapid decline, and the scale of the disaster helped drive one of the worst population collapses in the history of the Americas. Modern researchers have proposed causes ranging from Salmonella enterica Paratyphi C to a native hemorrhagic fever worsened by drought and colonial conditions. But despite centuries of study, no single explanation has fully closed the case.

Previous Fact Next Fact