Smallpox in Spanish and Portuguese America. Anon. 18th c. watercolor

As with other major migrations of people, disease was an unwelcome but important part of the exchange. Smallpox, for instance, was a great killer of slaves.

Como en otras grandes corrientes migratorias, la enfermedad era una parte importante aunque no bienvenida del intercambio. La viruela, por ejemplo, causó la muerte de muchos esclavos.