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Montezuma II, ninth Aztec emperor of Mexico, famous for his dramatic confrontation with the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. Montezuma became Cortes’s prisoner in Tenochtitlan. The Spanish claimed Montezuma died at the hands of his own people; the Aztecs believed that the Spanish murdered him.
A Spanish soldier accompanying Hernan Cortés during the conquest of the Aztec Empire reported that when Moctezuma II dined, he took no other beverage than chocolate, served in a golden goblet. Moctezuma was passionate about chocolate; had it flavored with vanilla or other spices such as chili peppers , and his chocolate was whipped into a ...
Apr 2, 2014 · Montezuma II was the last of the Aztec emperors, who was defeated by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in 1520. Updated: Aug 13, 2020. (1466-1520) Synopsis. When...
- Early Life
- Two Worlds Collide
- Motecuhzoma & La Noche Triste
- The Siege of Tenochtitlan
- Honduras
- Death & Legacy
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano was born in 1485 in Medellin, Extremadura, Spain. His parents belonged to the petty nobility, his father being a hidalgo. Hernán studied law at the University of Salamanca from 1499, but at 19 years old, he decided to leave Spain and try his luck in the Caribbean colonies. After running a plantation on e...
Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465-1524), the Governor of Cuba, had already sent several expeditions to explore the mainland coast of America starting in 1517, and these had reported strange ancient stone monuments and brightly dressed natives from whom were bartered fine gold objects. The governor organised another expedition and chose as its leader...
Located on the western shore of Lake Texcoco, the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had over 200,000 inhabitants, making it the largest cityin the Pre-Columbian Americas. It covered some 12-14 km² and was connected to the western shore of the lake and surrounding countryside by three causeways (running north, east, and west), which included gaps traver...
Before reaching the safety of Tlaxcala territory, Cortés first had to win a great battle near Otumba on 7 July, where the Aztecs tried once and for all to wipe out the foreign invaders. After several more campaigns, and receiving reinforcements by sea, several citieswere captured, notably Texcoco on 31 December 1520. Cortés' plan was now to lay sie...
Cortés might have delivered a great prize to the Spanish Crown, but he struggled for recognition in the longer term. Soon tiring of administrating, he returned to exploring and conquest in 1523-4, when he organised an expedition to Honduras led by Cristóbal de Olid (b. 1492). De Olid was a long-time companion of Cortés', but, in league with Diego V...
Cortés next spent time back in Spain, arriving in May 1528 with treasures and 40 Aztecs to wow the court. He persuaded Charles V to grant him great estates in the Americas, the title of Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca, and the right to keep one-twelfth of any wealth he acquired. However, Cortés was already becoming a part of history. The now aged a...
- Mark Cartwright
Oct 10, 2013 · Montezuma (aka Moctezuma), or more correctly, Motecuhzoma II Xocoyotzin, meaning 'Angry Like A Lord’, was the last fully independent ruler of the Aztec empire before the civilization 's collapse after the Spanish Conquest in the early 16th century CE.
- Mark Cartwright
Nov 9, 2009 · He entered Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital home to ruler Montezuma II, on November 8, 1519. Tenochtitlán, located near today’s Mexico City, had more than 140,000 inhabitants at its...
May 20, 2021 · Exploration. How Hernán Cortés Conquered the Aztec Empire. Tenochtitlán, the capital city of the Aztec Empire, flourished between A.D. 1325 and 1521—but was defeated less than two years after...
