Demographic Collapse: Indian Peru, 1520-1620

Cambridge Latin American Studies #41

by Noble David Cook

Alternate cover edition for ISBN 0521239958 (ISBN13: 9780521239950)
While many scholars have been interested in the size of the Indian population of the Americas at the time of first contact with Europeans, this book, first published in 1982, was the first to make a thorough examination of the question. Focusing on Peru, Professor Cook estimates population size on the basis of archaeology, carrying capacity of the agricultural systems, disease mortality, depopulation ratios, and census projection. He also analyses the catastrophic population decline that resulted from contact with Europeans, and compares this experience with that of the coastal region and the Andean highlands.

308 pages, Hardcover

First published February 26, 1982

Reviews

[Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book is an exhaustive review of demographics of Indian Peru before and after the Spanish invasion (1532). In general terms the author is inclined to think that Indians had had a minimum of 4 million and a maximum of 8 million inhabitants despite many authors affirm Peru had 14 million inhabitants before the invasion. To explain his tesis, he splits Peru in two geographical areas; the coast strip and the highlands mountains. Indians all over the coast that had first contact with Europeans were almost exterminated (almost 90%) in less than hundred years due first to epidemics then by warfare, overwork and starvation. Indian who resided in the highlands were able to resist epidemics cause of the intense cold and altitude that halted massive pandemics: smallpox, pest, measles, influence; diseases that were unknown in the Inca empire of Peru. Whatever Indians were 8 or 14 million, their collapse reached to have only 600 thousand survivors after 100 years.