An international team of researchers concluded that the collapse of Aztec society was caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica, which caused an outbreak of salmonellosis. In the 16th century, an epidemic struck people living in the territory of modern Mexico.
Researchers from Germany, the USA, Switzerland and Mexico have come to the conclusion that the death of the once mighty civilization of the Aztecs is really connected with the arrival of Europeans on the continent, but the collapse of the Aztec society was caused not by military actions, but by Salmonella, the bacteria that causes salmonellosis, imported from Europe. Thus, according to experts, the Aztec civilization was destroyed "by accident." The results of the study are available on bioRxiv, with a summary provided by Nature News.
Scientists have linked the death of Aztec society to the bacterium Salmonella enterica: it was it that was brought in by the Spaniards. Experts carried out DNA reconstruction of the bacterium, which was identified in the stomach of one of the local residents who died during the epidemic of the 1540s. In addition, DNA taken from the teeth of 29 ancient Aztecs who lived in the highlands and died in 1545-1550 was deciphered. In 24 cases, scientists have identified a connection with Salmonella enterica. This can be considered a strong argument in favor of the fact that this bacterium really became the cause of the death of civilization. In total, it is assumed that the epidemic could "mow down" up to 80% of the Aztec population.
Photo: Ancientcivs
By the time the famous Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez arrived in the territory of modern Mexico, the Aztec civilization included 25 million people. But after a hundred years, this number dropped to one million.
Ilya Vedmedenko