European colonization and death toll among Native American populations

In a groundbreaking study, researchers have delved into the impact of diseases in the Americas before and after 1769, with a particular focus on central California. The study, titled "Historic and bioarchaeological evidence supports late onset of post-Columbian epidemics in Native California," was conducted by Terry L. Jones from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, and Brian F. Codding from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.

The study's findings provide compelling evidence that Indigenous populations in central California exhibited a mortality profile similar to that of populations experiencing an epidemic plague from 1770 CE to 1800 CE. This period coincides with the arrival of Spanish settlers who established permanent settlements and missions in the region.

The data for the study included 10,256 records from excavated human burial sites and 23,459 records created by missionaries from Spain. The researchers analyzed age-at-death records of 33,715 Indigenous people who lived in central California between 3050 BCE and 1870 CE.

One of the study's key findings is that more females than males died near Spanish missions. This could be indicative of a variety of factors, including differences in susceptibility to certain diseases, dietary changes, or cultural practices.

The study suggests that social disruptions caused by Spanish settlers, such as increased violence, enslavement, and food insecurity, contributed significantly to increased mortality among Indigenous people. The researchers also support the hypothesis that Spanish settlers increased the vulnerability of Indigenous people to disease.

The findings contribute to a better understanding of the timing and scale of the demographic collapse in some regions, such as California, following the arrival of European settlers. However, the timing and scale of the collapse in other regions remain unclear and warrant further investigation.

The study's findings were published in the Journal of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For more information, you can contact Terry L. Jones at California Polytechnic State University (tel: 805-235-6621, email: [redacted]) or Brian F. Codding at the University of Utah (tel: 801-581-8663, email: [redacted]).

It is important to note that this study provides valuable insights into the impact of European settlers on Indigenous populations, but further research is needed to fully understand the complexities of this period in history. The first Spanish settlement or mission established between 1770 and 1800 in Central California was Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, commonly known as Mission Carmel.