Emperor Montezuma and the Aztec Empire
Montezuma II was born in 1446, and he ruled the Aztec Empire from 1502 to 1520 AD. During his reign, the Empire grew immensely. There was a deeply held belief amongst the Aztecs that a god would come from the east to be their Lord. Hernanes Cortes (1495-1547) and a group of Spaniards were prompted by mercantilism to push further into central Mexico in pursuit of rich gold lands. The group moved to the Tenochtitlan city capturing Montezuma II and killed him (Bulliet et al., 1997).
Primarily, Emperor Montezuma II expanded the Empire of Aztec, increasing its wealth and size. The Emperor expanded Aztec to the South of Honduras through conquests and wars. He built many hospitals, water conduits, and temples. With time, he resorted to levying high taxes and favouring his relatives for public office appointments, actions that prompted the indigenous people of Aztec to turn against him. Research indicates that The Amerindian allies from Aztec joined forces with Cortes and his band of men to overthrow Emperor Montezuma II (Cibrian, n.d).
The Spaniards crossed into the valley of Mexico with close to five hundred conquistadors. The Aztecs firmly believed that their lost god to return from the East. When Cortes with his band of men crossed into central Mexico while marching to Montezuma II’s capital city, Tenochtitlan, he never doubted their intentions. In fact, he welcomed Cortes, the god, with gold. Together with his close to five hundred men, using steel swords they marched on Tehnochitlian and overwhelmed Montezuma II and took him captive in his palace (Bulliet et al., 1997).
Montezuma II and his Aztec supporters temporarily emerged victorious against Cortes and his Amerindian allies. However, Cortes asked for reinforcement troops from Cuba, and they subdued the Emperor. Combined with Spanish cannons and his superior battle tactics, he was able to defeat Montezuma II and his supporters. Furthermore, the smallpox virus that the Antihilles spread beleaguered some of the last defenders of the Empire before Tenochtitlan was captured.
Montezuma II was one of the most revered rulers of the Aztec Empire. He was so powerful that most of his subjects believed that he was a god. However, Montezuma’s greed and indifference led to the collapse of his empire. Cortes conquered Montezuma II by deceiving him that he was travelling to pay him a friendly visit. Lured by the gold and opulence that Montezuma II displayed during the visit, Cortes turned against his host.
References
Bulliet, W. R., Crossely, K. P., Headrick, R. D., Hirsch, W. S., Johnson, L. L., Northrup, D. (1997). The earth and its people. A global history. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cibrian, J. (n, d). Montezuma II and the Aztec Empire. Retrieved from <http://www.loeser.us/examples/montezuma.html.>
