Montezuma timeline.

Montezuma was born in 1466 Tenochtitlán, capital of the Aztec empire, and he died June 30, 1520, either from wounds inflicted by the mob or at the hands of the Spaniards.

In 1502 Montezuma succeeded his uncle Ahuitzotl to the throne and became known for his pride and superstition. He lacked the harsh realism of his predecessors and was very much influenced by omens and prophecies.

Many Indians welcomed Cortés as a deliverer from Aztec control. Montezuma himself refused to fight Quetzalcoatl emissaries and invited Cortés into the capital. Fearful that the Aztecs might rebel against the Spanish presence, Cortés seized Montezuma, thus becoming the master of the Aztec empire without a struggle.

In the meantime an Indian uprising occurred in Tenochtitlán as a result of the ruthless policies followed by Cortés's lieutenants. Cortés hastened back only to find his men barricaded in the palace and threatened by starvation. He ordered Montezuma to arrange for supplies, but the Emperor refused.

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.

actually, that's not the only thing that's a matter of disagreement. Just about every aspect of Moctezuma II has been open to controversy. The problem is that sources are highly contradictory. Somebody was rewriting history, or maybe everybody was. The Spanish were no doubt anxious to justify the conquest of the empire. The indigenous peoples themselves may have wanted someone to blame as well.

in many ways, this emperor is believed to have been harsh in the ruling of his empire. This may be the reason why Cortes was able to find allies among the cities of Mexico in his conquest. Many may have been happy for the chance to free themselves from the powerful Aztecs. But was it Moctezuma II that was really the target of this hate, or just the powerful Mexican culture?

It was in 1517 that the emperor first got the news that strangers had landed on the coast. On the 8th of November 1519, Cortes and Moctezuma met. Over the next few months, he was used and imprisoned by the Spanish as the conquest progressed. He died in 1520 during a battle with the Spanish, though the exact cause of his death is a matter of disagreement.

The Spanish in reality may have just provided the excuse needed for an inevitable civil war. The Europeans did not conquer the empire alone, they were only a part of a force that changed the order of things in Mexico.

Montezuma II was the last of the Aztec emperors, who was defeated by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in 1520.. During that time, he increased taxes on his people and demanded more human tributes to be sacrificed to the gods. ... Montezuma died in 1520 after his people threw rocks and stones at him.

Montezuma

Birth and death

taking the throne

1503

1503

Aztecs fear

1514

1515

1517

1519

1520