That's not the apocalypse I meant, I was talking about the one that Produced Tenochtitlan. The deaths from smallpox and the vanishing of the cities they're now finding evidence of happened before the Spanish conquests.
The first know case of smallpox in Mexico was in 1520. It's REALLY unlikely that small pox reached anywhere near Tenochtitlan before Cortés, after all he arrived there in 1521, a mere 29 years after Columbus' initial landing. Cortés was part of the first wave of explorers in Mexico. Tenochtitlan was founded in the 1320, a full 500 years after the collapse of the Mayan city states. Teotihuacan which was near Tenochtitlan also collapsed during that period. When the Mexica arrived at lake Texcoco, there were already several thriving city states, that didn't collapse and two of them became part of the Triple Alliance with the Mexica.
I've never seen evidence of smallpox preceding the Spanish in Mexico, as it did above the RIo Grande.
This period is well recorded. Cortes made it to Tenochtitlan the first time before small pox. Cortes and company were driven from the city and nearly killed. The Spaniards regrouped and were reinforced while small pox devastated the Aztec population - including Tenochtitlan.
I've never seen evidence of smallpox preceding the Spanish in Mexico, as it did above the RIo Grande.