aria . ▁He ▁pos its ▁that ▁unlike ▁the ▁populations ▁of ▁Europe ▁who ▁reb ounded ▁following ▁the ▁Black ▁Death , ▁no ▁such ▁re bound ▁occurred ▁for ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁populations ▁of ▁the ▁Amer icas . ▁He ▁con cludes ▁that , ▁even ▁though ▁the ▁Spanish ▁were ▁aware ▁of ▁dead ly ▁dise ases ▁such ▁as ▁small po x , ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁mention ▁of ▁them ▁in ▁the ▁New ▁World ▁until ▁ 1 5 1 9 , ▁meaning ▁perhaps ▁they ▁didn ' t ▁spread ▁as ▁fast ▁as ▁initially ▁believed , ▁and ▁that ▁unlike ▁Europe ans , ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁populations ▁were ▁subject ed ▁to ▁brut al ▁forced ▁labor ▁in ▁gold ▁and ▁silver ▁mines ▁on ▁a ▁massive ▁scale . ▁Anth rop ologist ▁Jason ▁H ick el ▁of ▁the ▁London ▁School ▁of ▁Econom ics ▁estimates ▁that ▁a ▁third ▁of ▁A raw ak ▁workers ▁died ▁every ▁six ▁months ▁from ▁le th al ▁forced ▁labor ▁in ▁these ▁mines . ▁ ▁Histor ian ▁David ▁St ann ard ▁says ▁that ▁by ▁" f oc using ▁almost ▁entirely ▁on ▁disease ▁... ▁contemporary ▁authors ▁increasing ly ▁have ▁created ▁the ▁impression ▁that ▁the ▁er adic ation ▁of ▁those ▁tens ▁of ▁millions ▁of ▁people ▁was ▁in ad vert ent — a ▁sad , ▁but ▁both ▁in ev itable ▁and ▁" un int ended ▁consequence " ▁of ▁human ▁migration ▁and ▁progress ," ▁and ▁as ser ts ▁that ▁their ▁destruction ▁" was ▁neither ▁in ad vert ent ▁nor ▁in ev itable ," ▁but ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁micro b ial ▁p est il ence ▁and ▁purpose ful ▁gen