The Inca saw diseases as spiritual attacks, not physical illness. Spanish priests offered Christianity as a cure. The belief their gods had abandoned them broke resistance.
Infectious diseases and spiritual demoralization caused Inca Empire collapse
Key facts
- A dozen infectious diseases accompanied Spanish to the New World and spread across the Andes
- Inca interpreted sickness as spiritual attack by malevolent spirits or divine displeasure rather than physical ailment
- Spanish priests offered Christianity as cure for disease, converting populations through spiritual demoralization
- Inca people believed their gods had abandoned them, leading to loss of will to resist
- Three main factors caused Inca collapse: Pizarro's swift capture of Atahualpa, cultural disconnect between Spanish and Inca, and infectious diseases
- Inca Empire had 10 million people and provided infrastructure, roads, and food storage to prevent hunger
- Without Spanish invasion, Inca Empire would likely have continued for centuries
Sources
[PDF] A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE INDIESweb.as.uky.edu
Prominent amid the aspects of this story which have caught the imagination are the massacres of innocent peoples, the atrocities committed against them and,.
[PDF] Intentions of Indigenous Idolatry in Early Colonial Latin Americadigitalcommons.buffalostate.edu
Both the Aztecs and Maya had the tradition of incorporating the gods of conquered peoples into their own pantheon as a way to bring those people under control ...
Demons, Imagination, and the Incas - jstorjstor.org
A distinction therefore had to be drawn between visions sent by God and illusions resulting from excess and disease, or from sorcery and the interven- tion of ...
Inca Empire - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political ...
Dancing sickness, ancient gods | Christian History Magazinechristianhistoryinstitute.org
Conquistadors impose a new God. From the early days of conquest, Spanish colonizers saw Christian evangelization as the most important reason to be there. No ...
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