Montezuma Research Paper

Montezuma: Rise and Fall

Jesse Breitbarth

HIST 223

Professor Rerucha

25 September 25, 2015

Known by many names of the same origin but most commonly referred to as Montezuma, was the Aztec civilizations concluding fully appointed ruler. Intricate details are not well known about this prodigious leader from his early ages and his climb into power. What is known lies hazily written and strewn throughout the pages of deep history, depicting conflicting points of view and rare eyewitness accounts taken from oral and written history. Upon the time he acquired the throne as Aztec ruler until his untimely and unfortunate demise, possibly by the very citizens in which he ruled, Montezuma was a leader and speaker for his people, expanding

Montezuma would restructure and appoint newly held positions never before seen during this point in the Aztec governing body, as well as rid timeworn and previous positions. However, throughout fierce battle campaigns, Aztec rule began to expand at a rapid rate and thus began to dwindle shortly before the arrival of the Spanish. This was due in part to neighboring societies being overran and conquered, divided and managed into numerous subsets, ruled by shadow rulers and forced to worship the Aztec deity, Huitzilopochtli, god of sun and war. Many subsets began to rebel, such as the Thaxcalan, aiding in the future alliance and Spanish conquer of the overall Mesoamerican and specifically Aztec civilization (Youtube.com).

Most contribute the fall of the Aztec empire to Spanish conquer. However, it could result from diverse reasoning, ranging from rapid expansion and growth, the resistance to a forceful belief system, to Spanish conquers. Upon Spanish onset, Montezuma attempted to pay off these distant visitors with innumerable gifts ranging from rare and exotic feathers taken from his own personal petting zoo to valuable gold and other distinct metals, these extravagant gifts however were taken into diverse light from the Spanish and exploited the wealth that potentially awaited them in this new

In the absence of Hernan Cortes, due to conflicting matters in Veracruz, the Spanish interrupted the Aztec people in the midst of their custom, human sacrifice. Hostility erupted throughout the city of Tenochtitlan. Due to the absence and lack of decision making on the part of Montezuma, he was renounced by his noblest of warriors and replaced by a new ruler or “speaker.” The Spanish, attempting to restore order to the city, freed Montezuma and demanded him to communicate and calm his people. It is unclear whether he was stoned and struck by the very people he led or stabbed to death by Spanish soldiers, but on 30 June 1520 CE, Montezuma was slain. That day, 30 June 1520 CE, referred to as Noche Trista, forced the Spanish to flee (Youtube.com). The months following, the Spanish returned with their allies, the Thaxcalan, declaring an extensive and daunting battle ravaged with sickness and death, the city of Tenochtitlan collapsed. The conquerors ransacked and pillaged any remaining resourceful commodities and treasures and declared the land New Spain, under new and direct rule from the New World. The Aztec civilization came to an abrupt end (Calloway