Puebla maize record: good harvests in the 1570s, poor in the 1540s, no signal in epidemic years
Therrell et al. 2006 maize yield reconstruction (Douglas-fir latewood, Puebla), standardised: 1540s mean -0.87 (36th lowest of 418 decades), 1570s +0.82 (wet, good harvests); epidemic years mean -0.07. Agrees with the drought atlas that the 1570s were wet in central Mexico; disagrees for the 1540s.
How it connects
This clue from nature argues against
Cocoliztli broke out in wet years in central Mexico no signal in the maize record; 1540s poor harvests
This clue from nature is a clue for
What caused the cocoliztli epidemics that killed most of Mexico's people (1545, 1576 and later)?
This clue from nature we read it in
Therrell et al. 2006, Central Mexico maize yield reconstruction 1474 to 2001 (Douglas-fir latewood, Cuauhtemoc la Fragua, Puebla), NOAA
This clue from nature came from this step
Tested the cocoliztli epidemics against the Mexican Drought Atlas