How Did Montezuma Came To Power
Montezuma was the ninth Aztec ruler who lived from 1480-1520. He was in power during one of the key chapters in the history of Mexico, when the Spanish conquistadors arrived on April 21st, 1519. As a young man he was a priest in the temple of the war god that went by the name of Huitzilopochtli, and was so until he came to power over the Aztec people. He came into power after his uncle: Ahuitzotl in 1502, and was known for his pride and superstition. During his reign he committed several controversial actions such as greatly increasing taxation on merchants, which caused an uproar with the Aztec people. Then, in 1519, the Spaniards landed in Mexico in their search of new land. When the conquistadors arrived, Montezuma believed that they were emissaries of the god Quetzalcoatl, facebwho they believed would return to the Aztecs, so Montezuma showered them with gifts.
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They could not ignore the representatives of the gods.
The Spaniards allied with the Tlaxcalan indians and marched into Tenochtitlan. Montezuma welcomed in Quetzalcoatl’s men with open arms, but Hernan Cortes seized power of the empire by using Montezuma as a figurehead against his will, while Cortes made all the real decisions. Cortes acted as a secret leader until 1520, when events caused tension to escalate, and Cortes demanded Montezuma command his people obey the Spaniards. The Indians didn’t like this at all, and showered their leader in stones, he then went on to die days later in June of 1520. The spanish originally went to Mexico to search for land and gold, or other plunders because they had no prosperity back home in Spain. When they reached Mexico, they discovered the Aztec people and the native indians of the land, and decided to try to eliminate them and their ways (cannibalism, human sacrifices, etc. didn’t appeal to the Spanish, and they didn’t want people like that inhabiting the same land as
them.
Montezuma lived a short life, sadly his strong faith for his religion caused his downfall. If he hadn’t been so convinced that the conquistadors were emissaries of Quetzalcoatl, he may have realized that they were making an aggressive ploy against all of the Aztec people. Many people disliked Montezuma for the way he ruled and the decisions he made, but some did not. Eventually though, he upset too many people.
They could not ignore the representatives of the gods.
The Spaniards allied with the Tlaxcalan indians and marched into Tenochtitlan. Montezuma welcomed in Quetzalcoatl’s men with open arms, but Hernan Cortes seized power of the empire by using Montezuma as a figurehead against his will, while Cortes made all the real decisions. Cortes acted as a secret leader until 1520, when events caused tension to escalate, and Cortes demanded Montezuma command his people obey the Spaniards. The Indians didn’t like this at all, and showered their leader in stones, he then went on to die days later in June of 1520. The spanish originally went to Mexico to search for land and gold, or other plunders because they had no prosperity back home in Spain. When they reached Mexico, they discovered the Aztec people and the native indians of the land, and decided to try to eliminate them and their ways (cannibalism, human sacrifices, etc. didn’t appeal to the Spanish, and they didn’t want people like that inhabiting the same land as
them.
Montezuma lived a short life, sadly his strong faith for his religion caused his downfall. If he hadn’t been so convinced that the conquistadors were emissaries of Quetzalcoatl, he may have realized that they were making an aggressive ploy against all of the Aztec people. Many people disliked Montezuma for the way he ruled and the decisions he made, but some did not. Eventually though, he upset too many people.