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Was Moctezuma a weak leader?
Historical portrayals of Moctezuma have mostly been colored by his role as ruler of a defeated nation, and many sources have described him as weak-willed, superstitious, and indecisive.
What good things did Montezuma do?
Montezuma was commander of the army and organized extensive expeditions of conquest in deference to Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and of the sun. Through astrologers, the god instilled in the emperor a kind of fatalism in the face of an uncertain future.
How did Montezuma impact the world?
During his time as emperor, he fought wars all over central America and doubled the size of the Aztec Empire. By the time Montezuma became the king, Aztec influence spread from Mexico into Nicaragua and Honduras. The biggest issue for Montezuma as a new king was what to do with such a large empire.
How is Moctezuma remembered?
He is a former head writer at VIVA Travel Guides. Emperor Montezuma Xocoyotzín (other spellings include Motecuzoma and Moctezuma) is remembered by history as the indecisive leader of the Mexica Empire who let Hernan Cortes and his conquistadors into the magnificent city of Tenochtitlan virtually unopposed.
What is the revenge of Montezuma?
Noun. Montezuma's revenge (uncountable) (humorous, euphemistic) Diarrhea experienced by tourists after drinking water or eating food in Mexico as a result of a bacteria strain to which native Mexicans are immune. [
Did Montezuma think Cortés was a God?
An unnerving series of coincidences led Montezuma to believe that perhaps Cortés was the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who had promised to return one day to reclaim his kingdom. Quetzalcoatl, "the feathered serpent," stood for the solar light, the morning star.
Who is Montezuma and what happened to him?
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.
Who was Moctezuma II Why was he an important figure in history?
Who was Montezuma and why was he important? Montezuma II was one of the last Aztec emperors. Under his rule, the Aztec empire had its peak, conquering other tribes and expanding their territories. However, he allowed the Spanish to conquer them due to his religious superstition.
Who is Montezuma and what happened to him?
Moctezuma died in the evening hours of June 30, 1520, in his palace in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, while a prisoner of the Spanish conquistadors. The Emperor had been speaking to his people in an effort to persuade them to cease hostilities against Hernán Cortés, his Spanish soldiers, and Indian allies.
Who was Montezuma and what happened to him and his civilization?
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.
What did Moctezuma look like?
What did Moctezuma look like? A Spanish soldier described him "of good height, slender… the natural shade and colour of an Indian… scanty black beard…his face somewhat long, but cheerful". A Spanish priest calls him "astute, discerning, prudent, learned and capable".
Why is Montezuma II significant?
While Aztec emperor, Montezuma had a famous confrontation with Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. He initially welcomed Cortés but, when unable to...
When did Montezuma II reign?
In 1502 Montezuma succeeded his uncle Ahuitzotl, becoming the ninth ruler of an Aztec empire that was at its greatest geographical extent and cultu...
How did Montezuma II die?
After being taken captive by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, Montezuma spoke to his subjects in an attempt to quell growing unrest. However, up...
What did the Aztecs fear?
Historians long held that the Aztecs had feared and expected the return of another important deity—Quetzalcóatl, the white, bearded god who would rule over the empire—and that the white, bearded Cortés was aware of this fear and used it to his advantage in his expedition across Mexico.
Why was Montezuma II important?
Why is Montezuma II significant? While Aztec emperor, Montezuma had a famous confrontation with Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. He initially welcomed Cortés but, when unable to buy him off, laid a trap in Tenochtitlán. Cortés, however, took Montezuma prisoner, hoping to prevent an Aztec attack.
Why did Montezuma speak to his subjects?
After being taken captive by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, Montezuma spoke to his subjects in an attempt to quell growing unrest. However, upset by his believed submission to the Spaniards, the Aztecs threw stones and arrows.
How did Montezuma's submission to the Spaniards affect his people?
Montezuma’s submission to the Spaniards, however, had eroded the respect of his people. According to Spanish accounts, he attempted to speak to his subjects and was assailed with stones and arrows, suffering wounds from which he died three days later.
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Who succeeded Ahuitzotl as the leader of the empire?
In 1502 Montezuma succeeded his uncle Ahuitzotl as the leader of an empire that had reached its greatest extent, stretching to what is now Honduras and Nicaragua, but that was weakened by the resentment of the subject tribes to the increasing demands for tribute and victims for the religious sacrifices.
What did Montezuma do when the Spanish arrived?
When the Spanish arrived, Montezuma spent much time in prayer and with the Mexica diviners and priests, trying to get answers from his gods as to the nature of the foreigners, what their motives were, and how to deal with them. He wasn't sure if they were men, gods, or something else entirely.
What is Montezuma's real name?
Montezuma's real name was closer to Motecuzoma, Moctezoma or Moctezuma and most serious historians will write and pronounce his name correctly. His real name was pronounced something like "Mock-tay-coo-schoma.". The second part of his name, Xocoyotzín, means "the Younger," and helps distinguish him from his grandfather, Moctezuma Ilhuicamina, ...
What did Montezuma do to get rid of the Spanish?
Montezuma did, however, take some steps to get rid of the Spanish. When Cortes and his men were in Cholula on their way to Tenochtitlan, Montezuma ordered an ambush set up between Cholula and Tenochtitlan. Cortes caught wind of it and ordered the infamous Cholula Massacre, slaughtering thousands of unarmed Cholulans who had gathered in the central square.
How did Montezuma die?
Montezuma died of his wounds a few days later, on June 29, 1520. According to some native accounts, Montezuma recovered from his wounds and was killed by the Spanish, but those accounts agree that he was at least grievously wounded by the people of Tenochtitlan. Cite this Article.
How were the Tenochtitlan rulers selected?
In Tenochtitlan, the rulers were selected by a council of some 30 elders of noble lineage. Montezuma was qualified: He was relatively young, was a prince of the royal family, had distinguished himself in battle, and had a keen understanding of politics and religion. He was by no means the only choice, however.
Who sent word to Cortes not to come to Tenochtitlan?
Bettmann / Getty Images. When an army of 600 Spanish conquistadors under the command of Hernan Cortes arrived on Mexico's gulf coast in early 1519, Montezuma sent word for Cortes not to come to Tenochtitlan because he would not see him, but Cortes was not dissuaded.
Who was the leader of the expedition that took control of Cortes?
When Panfilo de Narvaez came to take control of the expedition from Cortes, Montezuma began a clandestine correspondence with him and told his coastal vassals to support Narvaez. Finally, after the Massacre of Toxcatl, Montezuma convinced Cortes to free his brother Cuitláhuac to restore order. Cuitláhuac, who had advocated opposing the Spanish from the start, soon organized the resistance to the invaders and became Tlatoani when Montezuma died.
Montezuma II was a good leader before the Spanish arrived
Christopher Minster, Ph.D., is a professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. He is a former head writer at VIVA Travel Guides.
A Prince of the Mexica
Montezuma was born in 1467, a prince of the royal family of the Mexica Empire. Not one hundred years before Montezuma's birth, the Mexica had been an outsider tribe in the Valley of Mexico, vassals of the mighty Tepanecs.
The Mexica Empire in 1502
In 1502, Montezuma's uncle Ahuitzotl, who had served as emperor since 1486, died. He left an organized, massive Empire which stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific and covered most of present-day Central Mexico. Ahuitzotl had roughly doubled the area controlled by the Aztecs, launching conquests to the north, northeast, west and south.
Succession of Montezuma as Tlatoani
The ruler of the Mexica was called the Tlatoani, which means "speaker" or "he who commands." When it came time to select a new ruler, the Mexica did not automatically select the previous ruler's eldest son like they did in Europe. When the old Tlatoani died, a council of elders of the royal family came together to select the next one.
Coronation of Montezuma
A Mexica coronation was a drawn-out, splendid affair. Montezuma first went into a spiritual retreat for a few days, fasting and praying. Once that was done, there was music, dancing, festivals, feasts and the arrival of visiting nobility from allied and vassal cities.
Montezuma Tlatoani
The new Tlatoani had a completely different style from his predecessor, his uncle Ahuitzotl. Montezuma was an elitist: he abolished the title of quauhpilli, which meant "Eagle Lord" and was awarded to soldiers of common birth who had shown great courage and aptitude in battle and warfare.
War and Conquest Under Montezuma
During Montezuma Xocoyotzín's reign, the Mexica were in a near-constant state of war. Like his predecessors, Montezuma was charged with preserving the lands he inherited and expanding the empire.
Who was more affectionate, Ahuizotl or Montezuma?
The young Montezuma continued the far-reaching military campaigns of his uncle but ruled his subjects in a different way. While Emperor Ahuizotl was considered more affectionate and warmhearted to his people, Montezuma was colder and more distant.
What did Montezuma know about the Zapotecs?
Whether fighting the Zapotecs or the Chichimecs, or traveling overland to meet the enemy in an unfamiliar territory, the young Montezuma got to know the deserts, dense jungles, high mountains and sandy coastal beaches of a land that one day would be his to rule.
Why did Montezuma go under house arrest?
Historians are unsure when Montezuma became under a sort of house arrest in his own palace and subject to Spanish authority. Some believe that this took place when Cortés left the Aztec capital to fight Pánfilo de Narváez, a man sent by Spanish authorities to arrest him.
What is Montezuma's crown?
In Aztec writings, Montezuma was often written in a glyph depicting a small crown called a xiuhuitzolli draped with hair braids and an earspool next to a speech scroll.
Why did the Spanish take Montezuma hostage?
In May 1520, the Spanish soldiers massacred a group of elites engaged in ceremonies in the Great Temple and with the city in revolt against the foreigners because of that, the conquistadors took Montezuma hostage to ensure their own safety. This hostage situation shook the empire to its core.
When did Montezuma see floating temples?
Fifteen years into his reign, in 1517, Montezuma received strange reports of floating temples seen off the coast in the kingdom of the Totonacs, a people the Aztecs conquered in the mid-1400s. The temples came ashore and strange pale-colored men with hairy faces set foot on the land.
Who was the Aztec emperor who visited Tenochtitlán?
Hernán Cortés and his band of Spanish conquistadors finally made it to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán as honored guests of the great tlatoani of the Aztecs, Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, better known to history as Emperor Montezuma. The date was November 8, 1519. The Europeans marveled at the city in the middle of the lake connected to ...
What was Montezuma's name?
First of all, Montezuma wasn't really his name. In Nahuatl, the indigenous Aztec language, he was called Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin. The first part of his name roughly translates as "he is one who frowns like a lord," and the second part means "honored young one" to distinguish him from an earlier emperor with the same frowny name.
Why did Montezuma surrender?
Of course Montezuma surrendered, because he was overwhelmed and amazed by the technological advances of Cortés.
What is the codex of Mayer?
The Codex Fejervary Mayer, a ritual Aztec codex, was one of the rare pre-Hispanic manuscripts that survived the Spanish conquest of Mexico. This page was used as a birth chart. Werner Forman/Universal Images Group/Getty Images. More than a military man, Montezuma was also an intellectual and a collector.
What did Montezuma show the Spaniards?
Montezuma showed the Spaniards into the salon of a "very large and splendid palace" where the Aztecs continued to shower their guests with gold and silver jewelry, ornate featherwork and "six thousand pieces of cotton cloth.". Once everyone was seated on cushions, Montezuma began his speech.
What was the most difficult challenge facing historians like Restall?
One of the most difficult challenges facing historians like Restall is that even though the Aztecs were an advanced civilization that kept detailed written records and histories, all of those documents were destroyed by the end of the war with the Spanish.
When did Montezuma rule?
Montezuma II ruled from 1502 to 1520. Prisma/Universal Images Group via Getty Images. A little more than 500 years ago, a meeting occurred between two men that forever altered the course of history. The encounter took place in the magnificent Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, the seat of a wealthy and powerful Aztec empire ...
Was Montezuma a strong emperor?
First of all, Montezuma wasn't really his name.