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#446 – Ed Barnhart: Maya, Aztec, Inca, and Lost Civilizations of South America
Lex Fridman Podcast
The Price of Exchange: Riches and Ruin in the Columbian Connection
The Columbian Exchange significantly altered the dynamics between the New World and the Old World, enhancing diets in Europe with new vegetables while introducing herd animals to the Americas. However, this exchange came with devastating consequences, as the New World faced an onslaught of 13 infectious diseases previously unknown to its inhabitants. Europe's historical immunity to these diseases did not protect the indigenous populations, leading to catastrophic mortality rates. In the first few decades, multiple diseases afflicted individuals simultaneously, with estimates suggesting that up to 90% of the indigenous population perished within 50 years, amounting to around 150 million deaths. This tragedy not only resulted in immense loss of life but also the eradication of invaluable knowledge and cultural practices of the affected peoples, marking a grievous chapter in human history that highlighted the limited medical understanding of the time.
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