Moctezuma

Moctezuma II Xocoyatzin, also spelled Motecuhzoma II and commonly known in English as Montezuma II, was the ninth tlatoani (emperor) of the Aztec Empire, ruling the capital Tenochtitlan from about 1502 to 1520. He reigned during the empire’s peak and presided over a vast, wealthy state belonging to the Hueyi Tlatoani lineage.

During his reign the Aztec state expanded its influence through tribute and military campaigns, while facing pressure from rival city-states and internal challenges. In 1519, Spanish forces under Hernán Cortés arrived on the Gulf Coast and advanced toward Tenochtitlan. Moctezuma initially received the Spaniards as honored guests and, according to some accounts, allowed Cortés to enter the city, where the two sides formed a fragile arrangement. Cortés eventually took Moctezuma hostage to exert leverage over the Aztec leadership.

Moctezuma died during the course of the fighting surrounding the Spanish conquest; the exact circumstances and date are disputed, with sources placing his death in 1520 or 1521. Some accounts attribute his death to Spaniards’ actions, while others suggest he died amid the city’s uprising against the invaders or shortly after being deposed from power.

Moctezuma remains a central figure in histories of the Aztec Empire and the conquest of Mexico. The name Moctezuma (often rendered Montezuma in English) is widely used in reference to him, and the encounter with Cortés has endured as a focal point in studies of pre-Columbian–colonial contact.