Mexico has faced different diseases and epidemics over the previous five centuries, and some of these almost killed the country's population.

So far, COVID-19 is not the deadliest epidemic that Mexico has faced in its history. One of the most deadly pandemics, smallpox, that the country experienced will mark its 500th anniversary during the second semester of this year.

The worst the country has experienced so far that almost eliminated the population of Mexico is the hueycocoliztli epidemic in 1576. This was even described in one of the peer-reviewed health journals as the Megadrought and Megadeath in the 16th Century in Mexico.

Dr. Carlos Viesca Trevino and Elva Malvido from the National Autonomous University of Mexico have studied the previous pandemics in the country. They wrote about the memories and characteristics of these diseases or epidemics.

Here are the previous diseases and epidemics that Mexico had faced over the last five centuries:

1. Murine Typhus

This epidemic happened before the colonization of the Spaniards. This occurred in 1508, but other sources tell that there was a typhus epidemic before that year, and some sources also said that the virus ended with Tula in the 12th century.

Viesca, the author of books like Mexico's Pre-Hispanic Medicine, said that because of the Spanish colonization in the country, the indigenous were forced to dress like Europeans. These indigenous have one of the highest practices of hygiene before Spaniards arrived because they used to take a bath several times a day since they are not wearing clothes.

This means that their hygiene practice was changed. The dress and clothes have lice that gave them typhus. The Catholic Church, during the Spanish colonization in Mexico, banned Temazcal, which could have prevented many epidemics.

Moreover, there were diseases and epidemics before the arrival of the Spanish. These diseases were called cocoliztli, which means "the disease we catch."

2. Smallpox

This was the first great epidemic in the year 1520. It did not reach the level of the pandemic because it did not reach all parts of the world. However, it infected all of the American continent little by little.

The carrier of the disease was Francisco de Eguia, who had been a slave, and he came from Northern Spain. Eguia is now referred to as the Patient Zero.

This almost killed the Mexican population. One source said that it infected 300,000 victims, while another source said that 40 percent of the country's population was infected and killed because of this epidemic. Meanwhile, Mexico's researchers and historians agree to the two figures because, for them, it was the key of Hernan Cortes to achieve colonization.

3. Measles

The second epidemic in the country was measles in 1531. According to Dr. Viesca, the spread of the disease started from the Spaniards when they arrived in the country, and it killed mainly children during that time.

4. Hueycocoliztli Matlazahuatl

This happened 14 years after the measles. This was a typhus epidemic that came from Europe. According to Dr. Viesda, this type of disease was carried by black rats that are from the ships and transmitted it through their lice to other rats than to humans. It killed a lot of people in Mexico.

5. Hueycocoliztli

This happened in 1576 and was described as the worst in the 16th century. The name of the disease does not even have a new word because many do not know what this disease was. It was just recently that a German researcher found out that it was a type of typhoid.

This was called as the worst because it almost killed the entire population in Mexico. It had killed 1.2 million people every month. Dr. Viesca added that between August and late 1576, it killed over a million in Central Mexico, or four out of five died due to this disease.

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