Moctezuma II

Moctezuma II was the ninth emperor of the Aztec Empire, reigning from 1502 or 1503 to 1520. He inherited an empire that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and as far south as Guatemala. He was a successful military leader who conquered many territories and demanded tribute and human sacrifices from his subjects. He was also a religious devotee who built temples and performed rituals to honor the gods, especially Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and the sun. He was known for his lavish lifestyle and his many wives and concubines. He faced the first contact with the Europeans when the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in 1519 with a small army of men and horses. Moctezuma initially welcomed Cortés as a guest, but soon realized that he was a threat to his power and religion. He became a prisoner of the Spaniards in his own palace and tried to appease them with gifts of gold and jewels. However, his people rebelled against the foreign invaders and attacked them in the streets of Tenochtitlan. Moctezuma was killed during the uprising, either by the Spanish who stabbed him or by the Aztecs who stoned him. His death marked the end of his dynasty and the beginning of the downfall of the Aztec Empire.