▁original ▁found ing ▁population ▁of ▁Native ▁Americans ▁was ▁about ▁ 2 5 0 ▁people . ▁ ▁De pop ulation ▁from ▁disease ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁No ble ▁David ▁Cook , ▁a ▁community ▁of ▁sch ol ars ▁has ▁recently , ▁al beit ▁slowly , ▁" be en ▁quietly ▁accum ulating ▁piece ▁by ▁piece ▁data ▁on ▁early ▁ep ide m ics ▁in ▁the ▁Amer icas ▁and ▁their ▁relation ▁to ▁the ▁sub j ug ation ▁of ▁native ▁pe op les ." ▁They ▁now ▁believe ▁that ▁w ides p read ▁ep ide mic ▁disease , ▁to ▁which ▁the ▁n atives ▁had ▁no ▁prior ▁expos ure ▁or ▁resistance , ▁was ▁the ▁primary ▁cause ▁of ▁the ▁massive ▁population ▁decl ine ▁of ▁the ▁Native ▁Americans . ▁Ear lier ▁explan ations ▁for ▁the ▁population ▁decl ine ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁n atives ▁include ▁the ▁European ▁imm igr ants ' ▁accounts ▁of ▁the ▁brut al ▁practices ▁of ▁the ▁Spanish ▁conquist adores , ▁as ▁recorded ▁by ▁the ▁Sp ani ards ▁themselves . ▁This ▁was ▁applied ▁through ▁the ▁en com i enda , ▁which ▁was ▁a ▁system ▁ost ens ibly ▁set ▁up ▁to ▁protect ▁people ▁from ▁war ring ▁tribes ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁to ▁teach ▁them ▁the ▁Spanish ▁language ▁and ▁the ▁Catholic ▁religion , ▁but ▁in ▁practice ▁was ▁tant amount ▁to ▁ser f dom ▁and ▁sla very . ▁The ▁most ▁notable ▁account ▁was ▁that ▁of ▁the ▁Domin ican ▁fri ar ▁Bart ol om é ▁de ▁las ▁Cas as , ▁whose ▁writ ings ▁v ivid ly ▁dep ict ▁Spanish ▁at roc ities ▁committed ▁in ▁particular ▁against ▁the ▁Ta