"Smallpox was first introduced into the New World as early as 1520 when the Spaniards invaded Mexico and it killed "over one half of the native population". Repeated outbreaks occurred in North and South America among the Indians, so, it was no new disease to the Indians when the permanent settlement at Jamestown began in 1607."
SMALLPOX IN THE 18th CENTURY
Susan Pryor, 1984
Research Report
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation - 0201