Late 17th-century portrait attributed to Antonio Rodríguez
Huey Tlatoani of the Aztec Empire Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan
Reign
1502/1503–1520
Coronation
1502/1503
Predecessor
Ahuitzotl
Successor
Cuitláhuac
King consort of Ecatepec
Tenure
16th century–1520
Born
c. 1471
Died
February 21, 1518 (aged 46–47) Tenochtitlan, Mexico
Consort
Teotlalco Tlapalizquixochtzin
Issue Among others
Isabel Moctezuma Pedro Moctezuma Mariana Leonor Moctezuma Chimalpopoca Tlaltecatzin
Father
Axayacatl
Mother
Xochicueyetl
1892 illustration of Moctezuma II
Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin (c. 1466 – 29 June 1520; [moteːkʷˈs̻oːmaḁ ʃoːkoˈjoːt͡sin̥] modern Nahuatl pronunciationⓘ),[N.B. 1] referred to retroactively in European sources as Moctezuma II,[N.B. 2] was the ninth Emperor of the Aztec Empire (also known as the Mexica Empire),[1] reigning from 1502 or 1503 to 1520. Through his marriage with Queen Tlapalizquixochtzin of Ecatepec, one of his two wives, he was also king consort of that altepetl.[2]
The first contact between the indigenous civilizations of Mesoamerica and Europeans took place during his reign. He was killed during the initial stages of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire when conquistador Hernán Cortés and his men fought to take over the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. During his reign, the Aztec Empire reached its greatest size. Through warfare, Motecuhzoma expanded the territory as far south as Xoconosco in Chiapas and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and incorporated the Zapotec and Yopi people into the empire.[3] He changed the previous meritocratic system of social hierarchy and widened the divide between pipiltin (nobles) and macehualtin (commoners) by prohibiting commoners from working in the royal palaces.[3]
Though two other Aztec rulers succeeded Motecuhzoma after his death, their reigns were short-lived and the empire quickly collapsed under them. Historical portrayals of Motecuhzoma 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.[4] Depictions of his person among his contemporaries, however, are divided; some depict him as one of the greatest leaders Mexico had, a great conqueror who tried his best to maintain his nation together at times of crisis,[5] while others depict him as a tyrant who wanted to take absolute control over the whole empire.[6] Accounts of how he died and who were the perpetrators (Spaniards or natives) differ. His story remains one of the most well-known conquest narratives from the history of European contact with Native Americans, and he has been mentioned or portrayed in numerous works of historical fiction and popular culture.
Cite error: There are <ref group=N.B.> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=N.B.}} template (see the help page).
^"Aztec Political Structure". Tarlton Law Library. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
^Chimalpahin 1997, p. 101.
^ abHassig 1988, p. 221.
^Williamson, Edwin (1992). The Penguin history of Latin America. New York: Penguin Books. p. 18. ISBN 0-14-012559-0. OCLC 29998568.
Nahuatl pronunciation), referred to retroactively in European sources as MoctezumaII, was the ninth Emperor of the Aztec Empire (also known as the Mexica...
Doña Isabel Moctezuma (born Tecuichpoch Ichcaxochitzin; 1509/1510 – 1550/1551) was a daughter of the Aztec ruler MoctezumaII. She was the consort of...
Duke of Moctezuma (Spanish: Duque de Moctezuma) is a hereditary title of Spanish nobility held by a line of descendants of Emperor MoctezumaII, the ninth...
Aztec Triple Alliance. Often mistaken for his popular descendant, MoctezumaII, Moctezuma I greatly contributed to the famed Aztec Empire that thrived until...
calmimilocatl, a functionary in charge of the city planning. The palace of MoctezumaII also had two houses or zoos, one for birds of prey and another for other...
fifth king of Tenochtitlan MoctezumaII (c. 1460–1520), ninth Aztec emperor Pedro Moctezuma, a son of Montezuma II Isabel Moctezuma (1509/1510–1550/1551),...
served as the royal palace and chambers of Tenochtitlan's ninth emperor MoctezumaII, who was the Aztec leader during the arrival of Hernán Cortés. The name...
Americas reached the mainland during the reign of Hueyi Tlatoani MoctezumaII (Montezuma II). In 1521, Hernán Cortés, along with an allied army of other Native...
Don Pedro (de) Moctezuma Tlacahuepan Yohualicahuaca was a son of the Aztec emperor MoctezumaII and María Miyahuaxochtzin, the daughter of Ixtlilcuecahuacatzin...
of the most powerful empires in Mesoamerica. Led by the Aztec ruler MoctezumaII, the Aztec Empire had established dominance over central Mexico through...
Queen regnant of the Aztec city of Ecatepec. She was also a consort of MoctezumaII. She was born as a Princess – daughter of Matlaccoatzin and thus a granddaughter...
Denegrida de Moctezuma (The Black House of Moctezuma) was part of the royal palace and chambers of Tenochtitlan's ninth tlatoani MoctezumaII. The Black...
colonial era. The principal heirs of MoctezumaII and their descendants retained high status. His son Pedro Moctezuma produced a son, who married into Spanish...
not actual seniority. Ahuitzotl was succeeded by his nephew MoctezumaII in 1502. MoctezumaII spent most of his reign consolidating power in lands conquered...
privileged than the descendants of Emperor MoctezumaII of the Mexica. The Emperor's son, Don Pedro de Moctezuma Tlacahuepan, formed a mayorazgo and settled...
including Cacamatzin and Ixtlilxochitl. The former gained the support of MoctezumaII, Tlatoani of the Aztec Empire. A civil war ensued, and ended in a tripartite...
to have been made under considerable pressure from MoctezumaII, lord of Tenochtitlán. MoctezumaII wished to lessen Texcoco's power in favor of greater...
Ahuizotl died in the year 10 Rabbit (1502) and was succeeded by his nephew, MoctezumaII. Ahuizotl took his name from the animal ahuizotl, which the Aztecs considered...
exact date of its creation is unknown, the name glyph of the Aztec ruler MoctezumaII in the central disc dates the monument to his reign between 1502 and...
Esteban Moctezuma Barragán (born 21 October 1954 in Mexico City) is a Mexican diplomat and politician, formerly affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary...
part of their hosts, the Spaniards took MoctezumaII, the Aztec king or Tlatoani, hostage. Though Moctezuma followed Cortés' instructions in continually...
alliance. The evolution into full autocracy was finished by 1502, when MoctezumaII was elected as huehuetlatoani of Tenochtitlan without the traditional...
station logo portrays a stylised drawing of the feathered headdress of MoctezumaII Xocoyotzin, the penultimate Aztec emperor, for whom the station is named...
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