- "Greetings, my friends. If that headdress doesn't turn up soon, heads are going to roll!"
- ―Montezuma
Moctezuma II (c. 1466 – June 29, 1520), or Montezuma, was the ninth tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520. The first contact between indigenous civilizations of Mesoamerica and Europeans took place during his reign, and he was killed during the initial stages of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, when conquistador Hernán Cortés and his men fought to escape from the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.
During his reign, the Aztec Empire reached its greatest size. Through warfare, Montezuma expanded the territory as far south as Xoconosco in Chiapas and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and incorporated the Zapotec and Yopi people into the empire. He changed the previous meritocratic system of social hierarchy and widened the divide between pipiltin (nobles) and macehualtin (commoners) by prohibiting commoners from working in the royal palaces.
The portrayal of Montezuma in history has mostly been colored by his role as ruler of a defeated nation, and many sources describe him as weak-willed and indecisive. The biases of some historical sources make it difficult to understand his actions during the Spanish invasion.
Details[]
Montezuma's feather headdress has been stolen, leaving him unable to perform the rituals for the Aztec Fire Ceremony. After the player makes a new headdress for Montezuma, the Aztec emperor heads off to start the ceremony.
Montezuma later appears during the final chase, where he catches sight of Carmen Sandiego.