More effective than even conquistadores' efforts, the introduction of made the most destructive impact on native american lives.

More effective than even conquistadores' efforts, the introduction of smallpox made the most destructive impact on Native American lives.

Before Europeans came to the Americas, the Native Americans had no contact with the diseases from the "Old World". The introduction of epidemic diseases and its catastrophic effect was an unexpected tragedy. The Native Americans had no immunity against these diseases, and sometimes entire villages were decimated in a short amount of time.

polisit can also mean a body of citizens. in modern historiography, polis is normally used to indicate the ancient greek city-states, like classical athens and its contemporaries, and thus is often translated as "city-state". the body of citizens came to be the most important meaning of the term polis in ancient greece.