Montezuma II (pictured left) was an Aztec emperor who ruled
in what is now Mexico from 1502 to 1520. The Spaniards took
control of the Aztec empire in 1521, shortly after his death.
During his reign, Montezuma extended the Aztec domain to cover much of south-central Mexico. However, the people Montezuma conquered disliked him because he taxed them heavily.
In 1519, Hernando Cortes, the leader of a Spanish expedition, arrived in Mexico. Some historians believe that Montezuma and his people thought Cortes might be Quetzalcoatl (pictured below in feathered serpent form) - the White God of the Aztec - or his representative. At first, Montezuma welcomed the Spaniards with gold ornaments and other gifts. He hoped that the gifts would satisfy the Europeans and that they would leave his empire. But the gifts only made the Spaniards eager to see the riches of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City).
In
1520, Cortes took Montezuma hostage and tried to control the
empire with Montezuma as a puppet ruler. In anger against the
Spaniards, the Aztec people attacked the emperor's palace.
During the attack, a stone hit and injured Montezuma. He died
several days later. The Aztec claim that the Spaniards slit
Montezuma's throat as they prepared to retreat from
Tenochtitlan.
One of the tracks on the Partridge/Budd collaboration "Through The Hill" is named "Tenochtitlan's Numberless Bridges"
