Americas. The Aztec and Mayan populations were initially exterminated, primarily by diseases brought by the Spanish (probably smallpox). However, unlike in North America, in Central and especially South America, the indigenous population was so numerous that, even after the extermination, they still constituted the majority of the population, albeit mixed with European traits. Particularly in the highlands of the Andes, the Europeans’ advantages in terms of crops, for example, did not apply, and even women with European ancestry faced fertility difficulties. In five centuries, from 1491 before the arrival of Europeans to the 20th century, the population of the Americas more than increased tenfold, despite the extermination of the natives by disease and war.
