Fall in the Indian population after the arrival of the Spaniards. Diseases or exploitation?

Résumé 0

The fall of the Indian population in America following the Spanish conquest is one of the most debated issues in American history. Historians are divided. Some argue that it was the product of the epidemics brought by the Spanish with them. Others argue that it was the result of the mistreatment by the conquerors and the over-exploitation of the Indians. In this article we provide evidence concerning this issue by using the wages that free-workers earned. This wage can be considered as an approximation to the standard of life of the Indians. If the fall in the population was due to diseases, we would expect to see an increase in the standard of life of survivors, as they benefited from a labor shortage and the best available lands become available. But if it was due to the mistreatment and over exploitation, we would expect to see a lower standard of life than before the conquest, insufficient to maintain a stable population.