Pandemic in Potosí

A devastating and highly contagious disease, likely the most destructive in South America since the Spanish conquest, struck Potosí in 1719, killing over a third of its population within a year. This 'Gran Peste' was documented extensively by local historian Bartolomé Arzáns de Orsúa y Vela, who lived through the pandemic and attributed it with cosmic significance. His narrative, translated for the first time, provides rich details on therapeutics, devotional life, class relations, gender, race, and conceptions of illness during this major public health crisis. The account also offers a comparative perspective on past and present disease encounters, contributing valuable insights to fields such as Latin American history, history of medicine, urban studies, and epidemiology.

Lane, K. (2021). Pandemic in Potosí. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780271092263