Mexico Indigenous population epidemic decline

50–90%

Epidemics cut Mexico's Indigenous population

After Europeans arrived in Mexico, epidemic diseases drove a catastrophic decline among Indigenous people, who had no immunity to them. Estimates of the 16th-century population drop range from about 50% to 90%, because the size of the population before the conquest is disputed.

French peasants bore most taxes under Louis XIV

The nobility was largely exempt from direct taxes, leaving peasants to carry most of the burden. Only extreme wartime need allowed Louis XIV to tax aristocrats, and their exemptions soon weakened that change.

Inca surgeons operated through the skull

80–90% survival

Inca surgeons cut holes in people’s skulls to reduce swelling and pressure after head injuries. Reported survival rates reached 80–90%, compared with about 30% before the Inca period.

Like this? There’s a whole feed of it. Replace empty scrolling with things worth knowing.

Download Hence for free

Mexico Indigenous population epidemic decline

Epidemics cut Mexico's Indigenous population

Keep exploring