November 1519 CEReputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented
Cortés Enters Tenochtitlan; Moctezuma Seized
On the timeline · around November 1519 CE ·
What happened
In November 1519 Moctezuma II received Cortés and his men peacefully into Tenochtitlan, lodging them in a palace. Within days the Spanish seized the emperor and held him hostage, ruling the city through him.
Why it matters
The taking of Moctezuma as a hostage in his own capital was an audacious gamble that briefly gave a few hundred Spaniards control of an empire of millions.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Cortés & the Fall of the Aztec Empire · Reputable source
- World History Encyclopedia. Montezuma · Reputable source