Anthropology

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(137,684 posts) Thu May 21, 2026, 12:49 AM Thursday

Something Was Very Wrong With The Inca Empire -- DNA Just Proved It

Disease and civil war had weakened the empire by the time Pizarro had arrived.

The indigenous people still make up a large part of the area's population.

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Something Was Very Wrong With The Inca Empire -- DNA Just Proved It (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Thursday OP

I've always had mixed feeling about Inca's and Aztecs because of the human sacrifice aspect Shellback Squid Thursday #1

This message was self-deleted by its author Baitball Blogger Thursday #2

Smallpox and measles were something like 50% fatal in indigenous people Warpy 12 hrs ago #3

Shellback Squid

(10,169 posts)

1. I've always had mixed feeling about Inca's and Aztecs because of the human sacrifice aspect

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Thu May 21, 2026, 02:50 AM

Thursday

unique to all civilizations

yes, Carthage had a few odd aspects

Response to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Baitball Blogger This message was self-deleted by its author.

Warpy

(114,709 posts)

3. Smallpox and measles were something like 50% fatal in indigenous people

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Tue May 26, 2026, 01:56 PM

12 hrs ago

Measles traveled faster so liely weakened them before smallpox arrived. Europeans didn't conquer the Americas, viruses did.

Otherwise, anacyclosis was taking shape in the Incan Empire, a dictator ruled at the pleasure of a power elite, a clear sign that decline had begun. In addition, empires are always surrounded by hostile forces who look at the way a predator class impoverishes the people who do the actual work and decide they want no part of that. The Spaniards had help, IOW, lots of it.

The fact that smallpox disproportionately wiped out the ruling class is new to me and the opposite of what happened in Europe when waves of disease swept through every 20-30 years. Smallpox was 30% fatal in Europe, significantly lower but still devastating.

Thanks for another piece of the puzzle. I knew PIzarro had significant help from neighboring tribes. I hadn't known just how targeted smallpox and measles had been. Likely they would have spread to the population at large given enough time. Pizarro stopped that clock for a while.

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