Disease and Repatriation
- When
- 1863
- Where
- Peru and Easter Island (deaths and freeing in Peru; smallpox epidemic on Easter Island)
Most captives died from disease in Peru before their 1863 freeing; the few survivors returned to Easter Island carrying smallpox.
The slaves were finally freed in autumn 1863, but by then most of them had already died of tuberculosis, smallpox and dysentery. A dozen islanders managed to return from the horrors of Peru, but brought with them smallpox and started an epidemic, which reduced the island's population to the point where some of the dead were not even buried. The freeing and deaths occurred in Peru, while the epidemic struck Easter Island after the survivors' return.
Sources
- History of Easter Island Wikipedia
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