Montezuma was one of the most influential figures in Aztec history, yet there’s a lot we don’t know about him. We know that he reigned from 1502 until 1520 and that he famously expanded the Aztec Empire, but the personality and details of this larger-than-life figure come mostly from the invading Spaniards — their accounts shrouded in prejudice, says Matthew Restall, a historian, and author, of When Montezuma Met Cortés.
Montezuma, the Man
“The Spaniards in Mexico constructed an extremely negative image of everything to do with the Aztecs, including their culture, religion, and system of governance, all of which was to justify conquering and doing what they could to destroy that civilization,” says Restall.
And Montezuma, the emperor of the Aztecs, is seen through this same lens—a barbaric yet weak ruler who bowed at the feet of the Spaniards. But Restall says that this is largely false. Rather, from the type of empire that expanded and grew wealthier in his years on the throne, it’s more likely that he was a strong, intelligent, and careful ruler.
