Indians could no longer work in mines and on the land. New laws made by the Spanish in 1542 put an end to them being taken as slaves. The Spanish authorities were alarmed at this decline in the local Indian population. By 1600, after 100 years of European warfare, disease and forced labour, this number had been reduced to about 8 million. In 1500, it is estimated that there were about 50 million Indians in the Americas. The Indians were not used to these new diseases, and they died in great numbers.
The Europeans also brought diseases such as measles and the flu.
They did not have horses to escape on or dogs to protect them. The Indians had bows and arrows and spears, but were no match for the newcomers. The Europeans came with swords and guns, as well as dogs and horses. But, the Indian population decreased rapidly after the Europeans arrived in the Americas. The Indians were often enslaved and forced to work by the newcomers. They had been in the Americas long before the Spanish and other Europeans arrived. At first, the local people, Indians, were used as free labour. It needed people to work in the mines and on the plantations that were developing. Spain was building its empire in the newly discovered lands of the Americas.
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