[Mediterraneo10]

The bulk of those indigenous deaths is due to the unwitting introduction of smallpox by the Europeans, which was then spread from one indigenous people to another at a time when Europeans still had little knowledge of the interior of the Americas. Yes, in the wake of this sudden demographic shock Europeans did institute horrible policies of violence and submission (beyond the already bloody initial conquests), but the "tens or hundreds of millions" figure should not be all ascribed to intentional warfare.