I don’t buy the European disease-killed-almost-everyone theory, either-there is certainly evidence that this was not the 1st time those Native Americans had been exposed to people from Europe and/or other places in the world through trade, etc-so they would have at least some exposure/immunity to the diseases of foreigners.
Being Hispanic, and a lover of history-real history, where the truth is not pretty, no matter who your ancestors are-I’m always amused by those who thank God for the conquistadors who brought the Spanish Inquisition to meso/south America-or the Puritans who brought the Brit version of it to N America. How anyone can think that torturing another human for days in various bloody, agonizing ways until they died-because they were an enemy and/or a pagan-is any more noble than that same pagan/enemy cutting out an enemy’s heart or otherwise sacrificing them. Or that it was more noble for the Puritans to torture, drown or burn alive anyone-Native American or their own folks-anyone they decided was a “witch” than it was for the Natives to shoot an enemy full of arrows, impale him on a spear, etc-what an ignorant notion...
My Spanish ancestors were no better/more noble than my Native ones, in my opinion-they were just more sophisticated and intentionally cruel in their methods of murder...
As has been said before: nobody comes to the table with clean hands.