Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40407566›Full record

ArticleEpidemiologia (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Epidemiological and Socioeconomic Disparities in the 1742-1743 Epidemic: A Comparative Analysis of Urban Centers and Indigenous Populations Along the Royal Road.

Jorge Hugo Villafañe

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Article in Epidemiologia (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Jorge Hugo VillafañeDepartamento de Historia y Filosofía, Universidad de Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-3239-7626

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesEpidemics have historically shaped societies, influencing demographic structures, social organization, and economic stability. The 1742-1743 epidemic had a profound impact on populations along the Royal Road (Camino Real), the main colonial corridor between Buenos Aires and Lima. However, its specific demographic and socio-economic effects remain underexplored. This study aims to examine these impacts of the 1742-1743 epidemic through a comparative analysis of urban centers and Indigenous communities.

methodsA historical-comparative approach was employed, analyzing secondary sources including parish records and colonial administrative documents. This study assessed excess mortality and socio-economic consequences across different population groups and settlement types.

resultsMortality rates increased dramatically-up to twelve times the pre-epidemic average in Cordova (Córdoba) and by 45% in Santa Fe-disproportionately affecting Indigenous and enslaved populations. Urban centers experienced severe economic disruption and slow recovery, whereas Indigenous communities and Jesuit missions demonstrated greater resilience. Their communal strategies and early isolation measures contributed to a faster demographic stabilization. Additionally, the epidemic weakened colonial governance in some areas, altering local power structures.

conclusionsThe epidemic of 1742-1743 revealed divergent patterns of vulnerability and resilience. Comparative analysis underscores recurring themes in the epidemic response and recovery, drawing relevant parallels with contemporary crises such as COVID-19. Recognizing these historical patterns of adaptation can inform present and future public health strategies. The terminology "plague" is used based on contemporary sources and not confirmed clinically.

Indexed as

colonial South Americahistorical demographyplague epidemic

Identifiers

PMID40407566
PMCPMC12101380

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